There Was A Time
by Caseyrochelle
Summary: A chance meeting in Knockturn Alley left Draco and Hermione puzzled. Suddenly, Draco was asking questions that Hermione couldn't answer, and Draco was answering questions that Hermione had never thought to ask.
1. It All Went Wrong

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I don't make money from this story. I also feel obligated to state that don't own Les Miserables, as that was the inspiration for the title/ chapter title of the fic._

* * *

 _September 12, 2000 London, England - Knockturn Alley_

Hermione Granger held her head high as she hurried down the grimy, dimly-lit street. She'd been running behind all day, and the tiff she'd had with Ron that morning wasn't helping her mood. She was nearly knocked over once by a tall man, who paled when he rounded on her and was met with a glare. If looks could kill, he'd have been six feet under before he could say _Avada Kedavra_.

Never before did Hermione think she'd actually resort to going to Knockturn Alley to find what she needed at work. Price wasn't an issue; the Ministry would foot the bill for whatever she needed for her research. They needed her project completed as soon as possible and she knew it. She and her partner were feeling the pressure. She'd been losing sleep, skipping meals, even spending a few nights in the Department of Mysteries looking for a lead, something, _anything_ that could give her a lead. Which is exactly why she was headed to Borgin  & Burkes.

She'd been trying to avoid the place, and her partner, while better acquainted with the area, had preferred to avoid it as well, if all possible. He'd chosen not to join her, and had requested she not go at all, but Hermione couldn't help a feeling in her gut telling her she _needed_ to make this trip. She was careful, though. She had to go to the apothecary to gather ingredients for a Dreamless Sleep potion, as her stock was dwindling fast. The apothecary in Diagon Alley had had most of what she needed, but they had been out of a couple of her required ingredients, likely due to returning Hogwarts students depleting the stock. So she ducked into the dark apothecary, ignoring the scowling attendant at the counter.

Hermione had actually been to this apothecary before on a few occasions, as it was cheaper than the one in Hogsmeade. She quickly scanned the shelves, picking up what she needed and a few other odds and ends she knew she was nearly out of before heading to the counter. She didn't talk to the cashier as he bagged up her ingredients carefully, not that he looked very friendly anyhow. She pulled out five galleons, more than enough to cover what she owed. As she place the money on the counter, the man looked at her as if she was the thickest person on the planet. He tapped a little sign taped onto the front of the cash register.

" _Exact change only?_ All I've got is galleons! I don't have time for this nonsense. Keep the bloody change." She snapped, her face turning red. She'd had nothing but trouble all day and if this man thought he was going to make it worse with some stupid store policy, he had another thing coming. She was surprised when the man merely shrugged, apathetic, and handed her the bag. She huffed, turning on her heels and walking out.

She'd calmed down slightly by the time she reached Borgin & Burkes. She felt sick to her stomach with anxiety. If there was anything that could help her, it would be here. She took a breath before opening the door and entering the dark little shop. To her dismay, Mr. Borgin was already occupied with another customer. Hermione didn't see who it was, as there were several display cases blocking her view, but she could hear the low conversation. She busied herself with looking through the display cases near the door for anything that would be of use, when she heard a phrase from a voice that she knew too well.

"It's a prototype, none like it left in existence. And all of the working ones aren't exactly accessible, now, are they?" She heard the man say. She worked her way towards the counter, still searching for the thing she now felt certain she would find if she were to look up at the pair at the counter.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but I have told you, after the er, _incident_ with the vanishing cabinet, Mr. Burke and I no longer wish to engage in dealings with the Malfoy family. Now if you'll excuse me," Mr. Borgin said, looking past Draco Malfoy to acknowledge Hermione, "I have a customer to attend to." Malfoy placed the object in his hand back into a small box, after wrapping it in a cloth carefully. He turned, facing Hermione for the first time. She gasped.

His hair had grown out a bit, looking rather shaggy and unkempt. He clearly hadn't shaved in a few days, as his face was scruffy. His eyes were dull, dark bags shadowed beneath them. Even his attire was a statement to his ill-kept lifestyle. He wore slacks and a white button up, but they were both wrinkled, and he work the shirt untucked. There was a large yellowed stain in the front of his shirt, but he didn't seem to care. He caught her eye, a frown creasing his brows immediately. His eyes lit up a bit as he was clearly trying to figure out what she was doing there.

The pair stared at each other for several moments before Mr. Borgin cleared his throat, snapping the two of them back to the real world.  
"Granger." He said in greeting, nodding to her.

"Malfoy." She said, returning the gesture. His eyes darkened, and he quickly brushed past her, then out the door. She shook her head to clear it before moving up to the counter.

"Hello, I was wondering if you perhaps have anything related to a time-turner or an hour reversal device?" Hermione asked pleasantly. Mr. Borgin grunted.

"Perhaps I should have taken the young Malfoy up on his offer after all if I could have turned a profit this quickly." Hermione's brows tugged together.

"You mean- so I did hear him correctly. He has a prototype for a time-turner?" Hermione asked, a little shocked.

"S'what he claims, yeah. Looks genuine, too. An' I can't say I have anything particularly like that, neither." the man told her.

"Could you- I don't know- owl Malfoy? Tell him you have a potential buyer, that'd you'd be interested in taking the prototype off his hands? I'd be willing to pay double what you give him for it." Hermione asked hopefully.

"Nice as that sounds, little lady, what I said to Malfoy still stands. Caractacus and I may not be in the business of moral fibre, but when we decide something, it holds firm. If you're that interested in what that shadow of a man has to offer, I'd suggest you run along after him." Mr. Borgin said, sounding final.

"Yes, well, thank you for your time." Hermione said before turning and walking quickly out of the shop. She walked swiftly down the street towards Diagon Alley, hoping to catch a glimpse of blonde hair in the dark alley. She wasn't surprised when she found she'd lost him. With the way her day was going, she pretty much expected it. She sighed, then slowed her pace and made her way to the nearest apparition point. She might as well get back to work and let Theo know what she'd found out.

* * *

 _Later, Department of Mysteries Time Room_

Hermione opened the door to the small office she shared with Theodore Nott with a bit of wandless magic, as her hands were full with take away. As she expected, Theo was still sitting behind his desk, his dark head bent over a thick book, and quill in hand. He barely even looked up when he heard the door open. Hermione smiled at her partner.

"Theo, have you been sitting like that all day?" She asked with a chuckle. He finally raised his head, sitting his quill down. He shook his head to get a few of his dark locks out of his eyes, shooting her a grin.

"And so what if I have?" He asked in his deep bass. It always threw Hermione off just a little that a voice that deep could come from someone so quiet. Theo rarely spoke without thinking extensively on what he had to say. Hermione shrugged, setting the food down on her relatively clean desk. She knew it was only clean because she didn't like to leave papers strewn about when she was out.

"Not like I haven't done the exact same, I suppose." She said, pulling out the containers of food and handing him one of the boxes.

"Chow mein for you, sweet and sour pork for me." She said, then held up a little wax paper bag. "And four spring rolls to split."

"Hermione, I seriously don't understand how you know my takeaway order. All you're missing is the-" Hermione pulled out a bottle from the second bag she had and placed it on his desk.

"Ginger beer." Theo smiled at her, shaking his head.

"This is either a testament to how often in one and half year's time that we've eaten together in this office, or a testament to your insane attention to detail and memory recall." He said, opening his box of noodle.

"Both?" Hermione shrugged, sinking into her chair. She threw a pair of chopsticks at the man across from her before clicking on the light on her desk and digging into her own food.

"You're right, probably both." Theo said with a chuckle. They tucked in, both eating in silence for a few moments.

"So it's been a bad day, huh?" Theo asked, watching Hermione carefully.

"Why'd you say that?" She said, wondering how he'd guessed. Hermione was normally pretty detached when she came into work. Even if she was having a bad day, the second she entered the office, she felt more relaxed, as though all the outside pressure of the world fell away. Recently, the pressure from inside her office had been replacing it, anyhow.

"You starve yourself when you're stressed, so it's not that. You've been showing up with your make up smeared as though you've been crying for the past two days, and then you bring back takeaway after going to find intel on our biggest project. Kinda speaks for itself, wouldn't you say?" Hermione allowed herself a low chuckle.

"'And you say _I_ have an insane attention to detail and memory recall." She murmured. "Yeah. there's some- _things_ \- going on at home. Nothing big, just a row or two." she said, not meeting his eye.

"Has he raised a hand to you?" Theo said, his voice suddenly tense and demanding. Hermione met his blue eyes across the room.

"N-no. Not intentionally. He accidently pushed me, but it was my fault for being too close to him when he stormed off." Hermione said quietly. She saw Theo's jaw clench, but she knew he wouldn't contest that. It wasn't intentional, that was what mattered in the moment. He nodded curtly.

"If he hurts you, Hermione, just know I'm only an owl away." Theo said, his voice softening a bit. She nodded, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fill her eyes.

"Thanks, Theo. I'm not sure Harry knows how bad things between Ron and I have gotten, or even whose side he'd pick." She distracted herself by picking up a piece of pork and stuffing it into her mouth.

"Like I said, I'm an owl away. If you need it, I have a spare room with your name on it." He said sincerely. "Can't have my partner sleeping in the office. Just wouldn't be fitting." he smiled. She actually laughed at that.

"Yeah, because we've _never_ done that before." She said, not realizing how it sounded until he raised his eyebrows at her. She blushed bright red. "You know what I mean." she said quickly

"Oh, I know what you mean, Hermione, but what you _mean_ and what you _said_ are two very different things." he chuckled.

"Pervert." she said, feeling a heat in her cheeks that rivalled a sunburn.

"And proud of it." Theo retorted, taking a bite of spring roll. Hermione had to distract him or her face would be red the rest of the evening.

"So I stumbled upon someone when I was in Borgin & Burkes." Hermione said, watching Theo's face change from amused to curious in the span of a few seconds.

"That so? And who might this mystery person be?" he asked.

"I believe you know him rather well, Theo. It was Draco Malfoy." She said carefully, watching his face.

"Draco? You're sure?" he asked, his face a clear indicator of his surprise and what Hermione thought looked like concern.

"Of course I'm sure, Borgin even called him by name. Why?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"He's been underground since the trials, Hermione. Almost literally. The Ministry claimed the manor, took nearly his entire vault at Gringotts for reparations. He and his mum had moved to some little rundown cottage in Cornwall, last I heard." Hermione paled. So that explained his physical appearance. And his apparent need for money.

"That makes sense." Hermione started. "He was trying to sell something to Borgin. I didn't get a look at it, but Borgin did. Malfoy described it as a prototype for what I presume was a time-turner, he alluded to the rest being rendered useless, and Borgin confirmed that was indeed what it looked like. Theo pondered on that a moment.

"Yes, it is possible. His father kept a collection of dark artefacts that he quite adored. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Draco and Narcissa were able to gather up a few of them before the Ministry could seize them. Do you think this could be what our research is missing?" he asked, before taking a sip of his ginger beer.

"I think it could at least provide us with a bit of progress to get Robins off of our back." Hermione said, with a shrug. "It's a lead. Might not be a very good one, but it's more than we've had in about two months. If we don't produce more than very well-defined research notes for these improved time-turners soon, we could lose our jobs." Theo nodded.

"I'll owl him tonight, see if he can come in this week. We'll pick his brain, see if he knows anything about the device, and we can even try and buy it off him. I'd like to catch up with him a bit too. I'm not sure how you feel about meeting with him, though." Theo said, his blue eyes flashing to her brown for a moment. Hermione hadn't given it much thought. Would she want to be present? Would she want to sit across from the man who had mercilessly teased her throughout school, the man who bullied her because of her blood? The man who looked like hell in that shop. The man who she'd seen fall apart at the seams the last two years she'd known him. She decided then that she had to know what had happened to him.

"I want to be there. He was civil when he saw me in Borgin's. I don't know what's happened to him since the trials, but I want to know. Besides, if I get along so well with you, I see no reason I shouldn't get along at least civilly with Malfoy." Hermione said, carefully. Theo watched her with his knowing eyes. Finally, he nodded his approval.

"I'll set it up. I'll let you know when, _if_ , I get a reply." he said, taking another bite of noodles. Hermione sighed. The hardest part of the day was done and there was a light at the end of the tunnel. She debated packing up and going home, but then she remembered who was in her little flat, waiting on her.

"Not leaving anytime soon, eh?" Theo asked, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "That's all right. I'll show you the schematics I dug out of the archives earlier. They were a different design than we've seen to date."

Hermione smiled at the man. He understood her need to work to forget, but he also seemed to know better than to leave her there alone. And for that, she was grateful.


	2. Time Gone By

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _September 15, 2000 London, England - Office of Hermione and Theo, Time Room_

Hermione took a deep breath as she pull her chair over to Theo's desk. They were expecting Draco at any moment and she wasn't sure why she was so nervous. Theo had arranged everything, had even informed Draco that Hermione was his partner and that she'd like to be there to talk things through. So then why was she so damn _nervous_? She chalked it up to being overworked and Ron's attitude the past couple days.

He stayed with Harry the last couple nights, which had simultaneously annoyed her and lifted a weight off her shoulder. She knew that they were fighting, and that she should make life-altering decisions during a fight. But she couldn't help feeling in her gut that something was wrong. She didn't want to go home at night because she was afraid Ron would be there. While that sent up red flags to her, another part of her brain kept spout bullshit excuses about how it was just because they were fighting. She knew they were bullshit, but that's what made it so confusing. She loved him. Of _course_ she would defend him, even from herself.

"Hermione. What's going on in there?" Theo asked, his deep voice suddenly very close to her. His face was very close to hers, and he rested a hand on her knee, which was odd for him; Theo wasn't a very physical person. Hermione blinked a couple times, trying to pull herself out of her head. When her eyes cleared and focused, scanning his face for emotion, he smiled.

"There you are. Everything okay?" he asked her, a worried frown on display.

"Not really. But I have a feeling things are coming to a head. I have some thinking to do on it." Hermione sighed.

"Do me a favor." Theo said, seriously.

"What? Don't think about it on the clock?" She asked, one brow arched. One glance from him told her he wasn't amused.

"No. Don't think about it _alone_. Talk it out with someone, anyone. I honestly don't care who, it could be a total stranger. But that far away look you had just now scared me senseless." Theo confessed. Hermione knew he was telling the truth with just a look in his eyes, so she ducked her head in a nod.

"Good." he smiled.

"Am I interrupting something?" A voice from the door came. Hermione jumped, and Theo laughed.

"No, Draco. I'm just trying to get Hermione to calm down. She's been wound tighter than a coil for nearly two weeks." Theo said easily. Malfoy stood in the doorway, the box he'd had at Borgin & Burke's clutched in his hands. He looked very different from just a few days before. He wore cleanly pressed robes that fit him well, he'd obviously shaved, and had taken care of his unruly hair. He looked like a different man in all but his eyes. Hermione met his tired grey eyes and knew that though he looked like a presentable businessman, his mind was rundown and barely functioning. Hermione had never felt such a camaraderie with him before.

"Please, sit down, Draco and we'll get started." Theo spoke up. Hermione knew he'd seen the brief moment the pair had shared, she saw it in the little grin he wore. She could see gears turning in his head, but she was too distracted, overstimulated to understand anything.

Draco sat down in the chair Theo had grabbed from the unused office beside theirs. Their office was nearly too small for three people to fit at one desk comfortably. However, Hermione had squeezed herself in at the end of Theo's desk, so that she could make eye contact with both of them at as they spoke.

"So Draco, like I said, there's not a lot I can tell you about what we're _doing_ , as most of it is highly classified Ministry affairs. All I can tell you is that we're interested in time, its properties, and devices used to theoretically or practically measure and/or manipulate it." Theo said, putting on his researcher voice. Hermione smiled slightly. She knew the speech just as well as he did; they were required to give it to anyone who inquired about what they did in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione knew it infuriated Ron that she wouldn't tell him what she did with Theo all day, and that was part of the reason for the increased tension between the couple.

Draco merely nodded with a slight shrug.

"I figured as much. You lot aren't called Unspeakable for nothing, right? Besides, Theo, wasn't our friendship at Hogwarts basically defined around the term 'need-to-know basis'?" Draco smirked.

"You've got a point, mate. Glad you understand. Sometimes people can get a bit -" Theo paused searching for the right word.

"Unpleasant." Hermione finished, speaking for the first time. Her nose scrunched up a little at the memory of Ron bursting into the office and demanding to know why Hermione hadn't come home the first time she'd fallen asleep over her research. Theo had, thankfully, remained calm and explained that they'd been working and she'd fallen asleep, and he hadn't the heart to wake her.

"Quite." Theo said, a sad, knowing smile thrown her way. Draco must have noticed the interaction, but he chose not to comment. Instead, he opened the little box, pulling out something wrapped in a white silk cloth. He laid the item, cloth and all, on the desk between them, before gently unfolding the cloth. Hermione peered at the silvery orb that lay on the cloth. It didn't look like much, until Draco prodded it gently. At his nudge, the little ball begun to hum gently and lifted up off of the table, looking much like a snitch without wings.

"I've never tested it, nor would I want to, as my father told me once that it was extremely experimental. He did, however, explain to me how it is supposed to work." Draco said, reaching out and prodding the little silver ball. To Hermione's amazement, it separated into hundreds of tiny pieces, before condensing into the shape of a bowl upon the cloth. Above the bowl, hovering in a similar fashion to two magnets repelling one another, a dimly glowing blue light hung in the air.

"It's supposed to work like a mixture between a pensieve and a time-turner. You extract a thought, place it in the bowl, and a the light at the top is supposed to show you exactly when the thought took place. You can then turn the orb at the top once and it will take you to the moment in the memory that you selected." Draco said.

Hermione tossed a glance at Theo. She'd never even heard of anything like the device and wondered if Theo had; based on his expression, he hadn't. He looked just as in awe as she.

"Did your father ever tell you what was wrong with it? Why it didn't work?" Theo asked, examining the orb carefully.

"He mentioned a few things. First and foremost, the device didn't so much send you back in time as it trapped your consciousness within your past self. Only two people ever tested the device. One is dead, the other, well. He's in Azkaban. He went mental, started casting the Killing Curse in the middle of a Muggle shopping mall. Obliviators had a time of that one. Ministry swept it under the rug, claiming he was a supporter of the Dark Lord, but he was really a guinea pig." Draco sighed.

"The second thing was that, even if you managed to not get trapped in your own head, say, if you used someone else's memory, there's no way to get _back._ The first wizard I mentioned? Killed himself. Was sent back in time sixteen years. Apparently he left a note, you may even have it on file still." Draco said, darkly.

"How do you know all this?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide. "We were told several stories, and read more, of failed experiments in the department during our internships. I think they wanted to prepare us, should something go wrong. But I never heard anything like this, did you Theo?" He shook his head.

"Not even in my time in the archives." he said, brows furrowed.

"My father had some old records that were extracted as part of a Ministry cover-up. I'd offer them to you, but as far as I know, they're still at the Manor, or worse, lost in some dusty filing cabinet in the Improper Use of Magic office." Draco sighed.

"Draco, this is probably the most compelling lead we've had to date." Theo said, excitedly. Hermione smiled at her partner, her eyes bright. He rarely got excited over anything, especially recently. "Hermione, do you think you could do some digging and see if you can figure out where the documents confiscated in the raid went?" Hermione nodded.

"Of course. I'm not above using my personal connection to Harry to further my research." She said with a smile. "But I feel as though our search would go faster if we had Malfoy with us. He knows what the source material looks like, possibly where it could be. Not to mention, if it's in the Manor, the secret hiding places." Hermione said.

"Hermione, you _know_ Robins will never go for that." Theo sighed. "He's not in the department."

"That's why I plan on working my charm with him." Hermione grinned, then turned to Malfoy. "If I were to talk to Robins for you, put in a good word, would you be interested in an internship?" she asked. Malfoy blinked a few times.

"Um, I- I suppose so. But I'm not sure I can contribute much, outside of my knowledge of this artefact and the others in my father's collection." Malfoy said slowly.

"Mate, you're bright enough for the job. Besides, you'd be an intern; most of the things we research would be above your paygrade. You'd be there for the menial labor, and sorting through stacks upon stack of archival records." Theo said, recalling his days as an intern. "Boring as hell, but the pay is decent." he shrugged. Draco's face lit up.

"A _paid_ intern position?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded.

"They've almost got to if they expect anyone to work for them. Actually, I think the chances are pretty good. Didn't Hopkins just quit?" Hermione asked. Theo nodded.

"Stress got to her. She was the Unspeakable in the office beside us, few years older." Theo shook his head. "We're about due for a new round of interns, haven't been any in our department since me and 'Mione."

"I'll take it." Draco said, "If you can get me the position, I'll jump through however many hoops I have to." Draco said, his eyes bright. Hermione smiled; she'd known he needed the money, and they needed his expertise on this forgotten piece of magic.

"I'll talk to Robins tomorrow and owl you the specifics. I may have to pull some strings with the higher-ups, but it's been over a year since the trials proved you were innocent. I'll be sure to remind them of that." Hermione said, scratching down a few notes on her notepad, she stood then, returning her chair to her desk and picking up her purse.

"I'm sure you two will want to catch up some, and I have a man to see about a manor." She said with a grin. Draco stood, holding out his hand to her.

"Thank you, Granger. For offering to help me. I know I'm only a means to an end, but all the same, it means a lot." Hermione smiled and took his hand, shaking it firmly and meeting his eye. They weren't dark now. They were bright, and shone with a light she couldn't place. She made a mental note to ask Theo what they'd talked about while she was gone later.

"It's not a problem, Malfoy. I trust we'll be in touch." She said, then waved to Theo as she headed out for the Auror department to talk to Harry.


	3. Hope Was High

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own Les Mis. And I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _September 15, 2000 London, England - Auror Office_

"I don't know, 'Mione. Are you sure you can trust him?" Harry asked, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"Harry, I've told you time and again, in my line of work, it's less about trusting _people_ and more about trusting _facts._ The facts are all in my favor. And you said yourself, in front of the Wizengamot no less, that he was innocent in the war. Just a boy without a choice." Hermione scolded. Harry nodded with a sigh.

"Suppose you're right. Just like always. I'll put in a formal request to access the Manor. I'd likely have to escort you if it's still actively under investigation." He said. Hermione grinned.

"How long till you'll know?" Hermione asked, taking out her notepad with a running to-do list.

"Let me check." Harry grinned, standing up so that his head peeked above his cubicle. "Oi, Robards." He called.

"What is it, Potter?" The older man asked, not unkindly.

"Malfoy Manor. Is the Investigation Department finished with it?" He asked. Hermione heard a shuffling of papers a few cubicles away, then the reply.

"Seems like it. Why?" He asked.

"Hermione thinks there may be something useful to her in the house. Unspeakable stuff, you know." Harry said with a wave of his hand.

"Fine by me, Potter. Paper work's on you, though." Robards replied, finally.

"Not a problem, I'll have it in early next week. Thanks for clearing that up." Harry said, before plopping back down in his seat. "Got you an appointment for Thursday morning, if it's all the same to you." Harry said. Hermione blinked.

" _That's_ a formal request?" Hermione asked, in shock.

"Course. Man's got too much paperwork as it is, we all do. Anything we can clear up by word of mouth makes all our lives easier." He said, shuffling through a filing cabinet on his left side and pulling out a thick stack of papers.

"This is the paperwork just stating there will be a visitor to a property held by the Ministry. See what I mean?" Harry said, thumping it on his desk. The stack was nearly an inch thick. "I need you to sign two spots and you're good to go. I'll do the rest Monday." Harry said, handing her a quill and flipping to the correct pages. She signed and initialled two places.

"One last thing. You want me there? Just in case?" Harry asked. Hermione thought it over, then nodded. The first walk through they weren't like to find anything, anyway.

"Awesome. I'll mark it down." Harry said, turning to his desk and writing on a sticky note a quick message before sticking it onto his monthly calendar.

"Thanks, Harry. I'd better go see what Theo is getting up to." Hermione said, Standing and hugging her friend briefly before hurrying away, back to the dark halls of the Department of Mysteries.

* * *

 _September 19, 2000 London, England - Hermione and Theo's Office_

Hermione trudged into the office, heading straight for the coffee pot in the corner. She was in a foul mood, which should not be the case on one's birthday. She sat down at her desk with her steaming mug, attempting to calm her nerves. She told herself it was normal for someone to forget something that only happened once a year. Told herself he'd been busy helping George at the shop, and his mum at the house. But somehow she couldn't placate the feeling in her stomach. People forget little things like that all the time.

No, she wasn't upset that he didn't remember. She was upset that he'd started a shouting match that had happened over breakfast. Hermione was having a really hard time with the secrecy clause that was drawing a proverbial line in the sand between her and Ron. After all, the things he was asking her weren't unreasonable. She could imagine why Ron would be so angry; he'd spent over a year being told close to nothing about what she did on the ninth level of the Ministry. All he knew was she worked with time. The first few months, he'd been worried for her safety. But soon, that fear turned to resentment. She told him as much as she was able. When she'd been brought on full time, assigned to work with Theo, Ron was the first to know. He didn't trust Theo, but Hermione had known that from the beginning.

But then things got worse, when her workload became heavier, and the pressure from her boss to find new, compelling data got stronger. She'd started spending more and more time at work. At first, Ron didn't seem to notice much, as he was still an Auror at the time, working twelve hour shifts with not much downtime himself. When he'd resigned to help George with the shop, he started noticing how much Hermione was working, and began questioning her about it. She began eating less and less at their little flat, staying out later do get through one more box in the archives.

She knew Ron was the jealous type. Growing up with six siblings did that to a person. However, she also knew that she'd never, ever even consider cheating on Ron. She felt almost certain, based upon his hostility towards her, that he had come to the conclusion on his own that she was. Hermione utterly hated conflict, especially with Ron, because it was as if she were fighting with a wall. He wouldn't hear anything she had to say, he had to figure it out for himself. And so she was stuck, waiting in the calm before the storm and hoping she'd boarded up the house firmly enough to keep it out.

She wouldn't allow herself to break down. Even in the safety of her office, she couldn't let her facade slip. If it did, she wasn't sure she'd have the strength to put it back up. She looked up as she heard voices in the Time Room outside her open office door. Theo and Malfoy. She listened as they said their goodbyes, parting ways, as Draco headed for his interview with Matthew Robins, Hermione and Theo's boss. She took a sip of her coffee as Theo appeared in the doorway, clad in his usual smart robes, his leather messenger bag hung across his shoulders. He smiled at her, then noticed her slightly shaking hands and his eyes narrowed.

"Alright there, Hermione?" He asked, setting his messenger bag down and making eye contact with her. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, just another row." She said, forcing a smile. He ducked his head once in acknowledgement, then reached inside his robes and removed a little container that he sat in front of her. She looked between the box of muffins and him in confusion for a second.

"I know chocolate chip are your favorite, and I figured you could snack on them all day if you've already eaten this morning. Happy Birthday." He smiled. Hermione stood, carefully sitting down her coffee so as to not spill it, and walked slowly around the desk. She looked up at the taller man, still a little shocked. His face was a mixture of amusement and curiosity at her reaction. She suddenly hugged him around the waist. He stood there for a moment, put off by the sudden, and rather aggressive, physical contact. Once he'd gotten over the shock, though, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"I really, _really_ needed that, Theo." She murmured into his chest. He nodded.

"I'll venture a guess. Ron forgot?" He said quietly. She nodded and he held her tighter.

"There's more to it, but long story short, Ron's a jealous arsehat and I was having a _really_ bad morning before this." She said, pulling away from him.

"Have you tried talking to him, Hermione? I mean about why you two are always arguing?" Theo asked, leaning on his desk.

"Our arguments are always the same. I'm not home enough, I don't cook for him often enough, we don't have sex like we used to." Hermione said rolling her eyes. "Sorry if that was a bit too graphic, but you get my point." She said. He waved it off and pushed off the desk, moving behind it to take a seat. Hermione did the same, opening her box of muffins.

"I don't know what to tell you, Hermione. Maybe try asking Harry?" He suggested. Hermione sighed, but nodded.

"Yeah, my birthday dinner is tonight. I'll see if I can't talk to Harry about it then." Hermione settled back into her chair, popping another muffin into her mouth and starting in on her research for the day.

* * *

 _That Night, London, England, - 12 Grimmauld Place_

Hermione found herself surrounded by her friends, most of whom she considered family, in the large dining room of the house Harry had inherited from his godfather. She looked around the table at the smiling faces that sang Happy Birthday to her. The night passed slowly, full of love and light that Hermione had been so missing in her life. Ron held her close again. He kissed her in front of everyone, as though bragging that she was his. And she loved that he had seemingly returned to his normal self; this was the Ron Weasley she'd fallen in love with.

But then, Bill slipped up; he asked Hermione about where she was working. Hermione only saw Bill and Fleur on holidays, and birthdays. The last few of which one or the other hadn't been able to make. This was the first time in nearly a year since Hermione had even seen Bill, so his question was innocent enough. But Ron's face froze. Hermione replied hesitantly.

"I'm working at the Ministry, in the Department of Mysteries." she said. Bill's face lit up.

"Ah, I know you can't say much, then, but which room?" He asked curiously.

"Time." She replied, noting that Ron had pulled his arm back from where it had previously rested around her waist.

"Quite an interesting subject, time. I'm sure it keeps you busy." Hermione nodded stiffly. Thankfully, Harry noticed Ron's reactions and called out to Hermione.

"I think I'd rather like some tea. 'Mione, would you mind helping me? I swear, you brew the best tea." Hermione nodded, excusing herself. She was so relieved when away from the Weasley's that she nearly tackled Harry in a hug.

"Hermione, what's going on with you and Ron?" Harry started carefully. Hermione sighed.

"I don't know! I think he's jealous of how much time I spend at work? We've been fighting _constantly_." Hermione said, sinking down into a chair when they arrived in the kitchen, her hands covering her face. Harry hesitated before speaking up.

"Hermione, I don't know how to tell you this. Ginny has been glaring daggers at you all night, and I'm not sure why, exactly, but I think Ron might think you're, you know, sleeping around. Because you're gone so much." Hermione just nodded, sadly.

"I'd never do that, though, Harry. I don't know how to ease his mind about it. Robins is really bringing down the hammer on us. I can't tell Ron that I'm not coming home until late because if I don't finish one of my duties, my pay will be docked, because then he'll ask me what duty takes eleven hours to complete. All his questions are justified, but I just- I can't answer them! I'm afraid that it's driving a wedge between us that I can't fix. He acts so different around me when we're alone. It's like- like I'm cheating on him with my job!" Hermione sobbed, letting herself break down in front of her best friend.

"Maybe he and I aren't meant to be?" She said, rhetorically, looking up to Harry. He shook his head, clearly not knowing what to do. Harry moved from where he leaned against the counter to kneel in front of her, taking both of her hands into his and looking up into her big brown eyes.

"I can talk to him if you want, Hermione. We can see if that will help any. But until then, try and keep your head up. You're strong, I know you are. You'll get through this." Harry told her. Hermione smiled a watery smile.

"Thanks, Harry. I'll try my best." She managed.

"Now come one, birthday girl. They'll wonder where we are if we take too much longer." Harry said, standing and pulling Hermione to her feet. She felt a little better, as though a bit of the pressure building inside her had finally found a bit of a release. She was able to return to the party with a genuine smile.


	4. Life Worth Living

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Don't own Les Mis. Don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _September 21, 2000 Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor_

Hermione stood in the foyer of Malfoy Manor, shaking like a leaf. She had known it would be hard to come back to this place after the time she spent here during the war, but she didn't know it would be this hard. She felt Harry slip his hand into hers, squeezing gently. She returned the firm pressure.

Theo, having been the son of a Death Eater, knew why Hermione was so anxious. Hermione glanced over at him, her warm brown eyes meeting his icy blue. He leaned nonchalantly against the wall, waiting for Hermione to compose herself. He wasn't mean about it, merely matter-of-fact. Anxiety happened, he was well aware of it. But Hermione had learned that he was nothing if not patient.

Hermione and Theo had consulted with Malfoy the day before about where they should look in the house for clues. He was still waiting to hear back from Robins about the job, otherwise he would have been able to go with them. Draco had given them quite detailed instructions, discussing the hiding places in both his father's study and the manor library quite freely. Hermione had jotted down the list, and clutched it in one trembling hand, but she found herself unable to move past the foyer.

She could see the twin marble staircases just past the wide, ornately carved entrance. She knew all too well that if she were to go to the left, she'd be standing in the room she was tortured in by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Hermione." Harry murmured. "We're not going to look left, okay? We're going to look straight ahead. Nott will walk in front of you. I want you to focus on him, okay?" Harry said, nodding to Theo. She nodding, meeting Theo's kind eyes and knowing smile.

"Now, your eyes don't leave him, got it?" Harry said. She nodded and they began walking, slowly at first.

"Hermione, what're the Five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration?" Harry asked, knowingly. Hermione frowned, but her eyes didn't leave Theo's back.

"Um. Well first there's food." Hermione said, frowning.

"Right, you can't make food from nothing. Next?" Harry prodded, attempting to speed up their progress a bit. They were nearly through the main entranceway.

"Money. You can't transfigure currency." Hermione said, a bit more confident. She allowed Harry to speed up their pace. He walked on her left, as though to further shield her from the room.

"Right, what else?" Harry said. They were just about even with the base the staircases. Almost home free.

"Clothing. You can't create more fabric than you started with." She said, taking a deep breath as she saw Theo turn to face her, having reached the next room.

"Last two Hermione, we're almost there." Harry said. Hermione took a deep breath.

"Shelter and a body part removed by Dark magic." she said on one breath, just as they crossed the threshold into the back hall. Theo smiled at her, then turned on his heel and lead the way to the library and attached study. Hermione had finally stopped shaking so violently and she was actually able to focus on the task at hand. However, she hadn't realized exactly how massive the Malfoy library was, and they spent nearly three hours just gathering documents that they deemed important from the main files in Lucius's desk.

Hermione looked up at Theo from across the room, watching him leaf through the a filing cabinet drawer.

"We're going to _have_ to bring Malfoy, whether he gets the job or not. This place is entirely too massive for us to search on our own. Theo nodded.

"I think we've gathered enough to keep us busy for at least a few days, though. Let's head back to the office." He said, gathering a fairly large pile of journals and sheaves of parchment into his arms. Hermione did the same, and they made their way back through the house. Hermione cringed when she realized she'd have to pass the drawing room yet again, but was taken aback by Theo turning into a little room off the back hall. The room looked like a large sitting room or lounge, and at the far end, there were a pair of french doors that lead to the front of the house.

"We could have avoided the main entrance and you made me endure that hell anyway?" Hermione shrilled. Theo merely grinned.

"Never asked me if there was another way, now, did you? Besides, I think it did you some good. You needed the coping skills." Theo threw back over his shoulder at her.

"Damn Slytherins." Hermione muttered darkly as she left the house.

* * *

 _September 26, 2000 London, England - Hermione and Theo's Office_

Hermione and Theo sat quietly going over their findings of their first venture into Malfoy Manor when they heard a small knock on the door. They both frowned; they rarely had visitors and their boss never bothered knocking.

"Come in." Hermione called, turning in her seat to see who it was. Malfoy opened the door, peeking his head in.

"Am I interrupting anything?" He asked, cautiously. Theo grinned at his friend.

"Nothing major, no. Come in. What brings you here?" Theo asked, grabbing a folding chair from behind him that he'd taken to keeping on hand, and motioning for Draco to sit.

"Actually, I was sent down by Robins. I got the job." Malfoy beamed. Hermione smiled up at him, relieved.

"That's amazing! Now we can actually get something accomplished and cover some ground." Hermione said, pulling out her notepad. "Malfoy, when would you be available to go to the manor and help us track down the data we need?" She asked.

"As long as it's before four-thirty in the afternoon, I should be fine. I'm also available after six. I have an, erm, prior engagement that I've let Robins know about. He's cleared it for me." Draco said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Hermione frowned a little, but jotted down that note and drew a box around it, so she could find it later.

"Alright. Then we should be set to start back into the manor tomorrow, bright and early. Your first, official duty as an intern, Draco, is learning how to file things correctly." Hermione smirked, handing him a stack of folders they'd finished with. Theo laughed.

"Should be a breeze for him, considering the filing system in the manor." he chuckled.

"Alphabetically, chronologically, or otherwise?" Draco asked, a small smile playing at his lips.

"Alphabetical by cabinet, chronological within the drawer, and alphabetical by case name." Hermione explained, pointing to the top of one of the files to explain the sorting system. Draco nodded, then adjusted his hold on the stack and left the office for the archives room. Hermione sat back, scrubbing a hand down her face.

"Do I want to know what his prior engagement is?" Hermione asked Theo without looking at him.

"You probably do, actually." Hermione looked up at him. His deep voice was grave and when her eyes met his, she sat up a little straighter. "His mother is extremely sick. She's in St. Mungo's, but there's not much they can do for her and she refuses to go to a Muggle hospital. Draco goes by every night to make sure she's eating. Apparently, she only eats when he's there," Theo explained. Hermione covered her mouth in horror.

"So that's why he looked so bad when I saw him in Knockturn Alley. Poor thing!" Theo nodded.

"I'm actually putting aside some money to get him into a decent flat. The house he was living in with his mother was condemned, and Mungo's suspects it's how she contracted her illness. In the meantime he's staying with me. Only problem is he's too bloody proud to accept charity." Theo said, scrubbing a hand down his face. "His father is still in Azkaban, has at least ten more years to serve there. He's got nothing and no one."

"He's got you." Hermione corrected. Theo smiled at that, nodding once in agreement. "Let me do some digging. I may have to use my charm, but I think I know a way to get Draco his house back." Hermione said

"By 'use your charm', you mean a Confundus, don't you?" Theo smirked. Hermione placed her hand to her chest in mock outrage.

"Me? I'd never Confund someone as a means to an end. What do I look like, a Slytherin?" Hermione giggled.

"Mhm. And _I'd_ never give up half my life savings to help my best mate get his house back. Much too Gryffindor." He winked at her.

"Glad we're clear, then." Hermione said with a smile, standing and marching out of the office to check on Draco's filing.

* * *

 _October 11, 2000 Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor_

It had been nearly three weeks since Hermione's last excursion to the manor with Theo and Draco. They'd found enough material to keep them busy for quite some time, even with Draco doing the menial filing and classifying. Draco's part saved Hermione and Theo loads of time, and they also gained a new respect for their predecessors, who'd taught them to work quickly and efficiently, or the whole of the research was slowed.

Much of what Hermione was subject to was scanning scores of documents, and, once determining that it was not pertaining to their case, she returned it to it's file. This went on endlessly, with a few needles in the haystack poking them sharply every now and again. She'd managed to scrape up two or three documents that held details about the device Draco had shown them., which she then placed in a neat pile before returning to the swamp of documents.

Now, they had to return to the manor to replenish their stock of ill-fitting documents in search of striking gold. Around the third or fourth hour of leafing through musty books and cobweb-ridden cabinets, Draco pulled out a folder with a very distinct label.

" _Tempus Memoriam._ Hermione, Theo, I think I've got something." Draco said, waving them over. Theo and Hermione exchanged a look upon reading the title.

"It's Latin," Theo said, "Time Memory." They sat the folder on the table beside them, flipping it open and spreading out the documents, eyeing them carefully.

"Just from a quick glance, they look like magical theorems. There are several equations I've never seen that we'll have to analyze." Hermione said, pointing to a few passages.

"There's an appendix as well. Draco, do you recognize any of the names?" Theo asked. Draco scanned the paper before nodding.

"Yeah, I remember seeing one or two of these in Father's study. We'll have to look and see if we can track any of them down." he said, checking his watch. "I have to go, it's four. Theo, what time will you be home?" Draco asked, packing his things up.

"Doesn't matter, Draco, you won't be staying with me tonight." Theo said, looking up from the papers. Draco paled and Hermione felt a tug at her heart.

"What- what do you mean, mate?" Draco stammered. Hermione's heart broke a little at his defeated tone.

"Theo, just tell him. I can't stand to watch him suffer." Hermione said, elbowing the dark-haired man.

"Tell me what? You're in on this too, Granger?" Draco's eyes darkened, his face falling even further.

"Yes, she is. Wouldn't have been able to do it without her, actually." Theo admitted. " Draco, you won't be staying with me tonight because you'll be staying here, at the Manor." Draco blinked once.

"Excuse me?" he asked, shocked. "In case you didn't notice, the Manor no longer belongs to me." Theo smiled.

"Draco, do you have a galleon on you?" Hermione questioned. He turned to her.

"What? Why- have you two gone mental?" Draco demanded.

"Yes or no, Malfoy." Hermione said, smirking. Draco turned out his pockets, but only came up with a few knuts and a sickle. He shook his head.

"S'pose it'll have to do." Hermione declared, plucking the sickle from his hand.

"Oi, what's going on here? Give me that back, it's all I've got." Draco complained, looking close to tears.

"Sorry, no can do. Have to collect some payment in order for the transaction to be completed. Wizarding properties and deeds are very complex, you know." Hermione said, pulling a yellowed sheet of parchment from the inside pocket of her robes, and tapped it with her wand before handing it to Draco.

It was the deed to the mansion. As Draco watched, the text began changing, the value for which the property was bought altering, the names rearranging. He saw his name clearly written as the recipient, replacing Hermione's. He looked between Theo and Hermione in confusion.

"What did you two do?" He asked, suspiciously. Theo just grinned broadly while Hermione explained.

"Harry told me that they'd finished the investigation in regards to the property, but that they were within their legal rights to sell the property and use the money for reparations. Which was brilliant because it made legally purchasing the property infinitely easier. Once we'd found out the price and talked to the correct sources, Theo used some of his savings, and I threw in a bit of my war stipend to buy the place." She said with a smile. Draco stared at her like she was from another planet.

"Why?" he whispered. Hermione shrugged.

"You're a good friend to Theo." She said. "Also, he told me about your mother." She said gently. His head snapped to Theo.

"You _what?_ " He demanded.

"Relax, Draco. She isn't helping me throw you a pity party, she's helping me get you back on your feet." Theo said, his eyes conveying more emotion than his voice.

"Draco, I know what war can do to a family. I lost my parents, was shoved into adulthood face first and told to find my way alone. I can't understand exactly what you're going through, but I know it's hard. I'm just trying to help you. Like you once tried to help me." Hermione told him, looking into his pale grey eyes.

"But I couldn't. Help you." Draco said softly, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"But you _tried._ " She insisted. "I remember the night I spent in your drawing room well, Draco. You tried. And that's all that matters to me." Hermione pledged.

"That's why she paid off your mum's medical bills, and I set up an account that they can charge future expenses to." Theo said. Draco's eyes snapped back up to Theo. He looked his friend over, as if waiting for him to tell him it was all a joke.

"You were my only true friend in school, Draco. Everyone else was just afraid of my father or impressed by my name. You didn't care about that. Those last few years, when things at home got- _bad_ -" Theo looked down. "You saved me once, Draco. I owe this to you." He muttered. Suddenly, Draco nearly knocked the thinner man down with an embrace, tears streaming down his face. Hermione was a little surprised to see Theo clutching Draco just as firmly. It seemed their friendship ran even deeper than she'd suspected.

The men stood like that for several minutes, the emotion palpable the air, before Draco released the other man and swiped at his eyes with a little laugh.

"Look at me. Blubbering like a schoolgirl. Thank you, both of you. Really. If there's anything I can ever do for you-" Draco started, but Theo raised a hand to stop him.

"We're even, Draco. Like I said, I'm repaying a debt. I'm not sure if Hermione feels the same, but as far as you and I stand, we're even." He said, blue eyes firm. Draco squared his shoulders, adopting a posture Hermione hadn't seen from him in years as he nodded. Hermione checked her watch.

"Draco, your mother." she warned, and he glanced down at his watch.

"I've got to run. I'll see you when I get back?" Draco said, moving to the fireplace on the far wall. Theo nodded, answering for them both. Draco beamed at them once before turning and disappearing in green flames.


	5. Love Would Never Die

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _October 17, 2000 London, England - Hermione and Ron's Flat_

Hermione shouldered her way through the door, a few bags of groceries in her hands along with her work bag and her purse thrown over her shoulder. She made her way to the little kitchen to put the things she'd bought away, allowing her purse and work bag to fall into one of the chairs at the table. She sighed, exhausted from the day.

She'd spent most of the day at the Manor, working her way down the three-page appendix with Draco and searching the library for each work listed one at a time. It had been a gruelling process that left her with a headache and tired eyes. After she'd gotten finished with the last page for the day, she had dropped by the office to drop off her report of the day's activity. Theo was still in, as he had worked most of the day on figuring out the rest of the _Tempus Memoriam_ documents and taking care of a bit of paperwork. She'd left her report with him, as he had to turn in his own to Robins' office before he left, and headed to the store.

She knew that their flat was sorely in need of some real food, as the past couple nights, she and Ron had been dining on microwave mac and cheese and ramen noodles. She drug herself up, putting away the bread and the milk, but leaving out what she'd need to make dinner. She'd planned on fried chicken with garlic and herb roasted potatoes. She was actually home early for once, and she was feeling pretty good, if tired. But there was a tug in her stomach, a little suggestion in the back of her mind that it was too good to be true.

That little suggestion proved itself correct when she heard, or rather, felt Ron enter the room. He carried himself in a manner which exuded disgust as he walked up behind Hermione, his arms crossed over his chest. He towered over her and for a moment, Hermione was a little scared.

"Where were you today?" he asked scathingly. She blinked up at him.

"What do you mean, where was I, I was working." she told him, frowning.

"You weren't in the office, Hermione. Where were you?" Ron said, rolling his eyes as though she'd been caught red-handed.

"You're aware that my job requires real-world data, Ron. I'm not always in the office during the day. Besides, Theo was in all day today, except maybe lunch." she said, taking a step back from the man to restore some sense of personal space.

"You weren't in _all day_ , Hermione. I came by to drop off some lunch. I thought maybe you'd stepped out to go the the bathroom, so I waited outside until Nott came back. He said you were out of the office all day." Ron said, matter-of-factly.

"And he was correct, Ron. I _was_ out of the office all day. As in, I was unavailable to be in the office for meetings all day. I was hip-deep in research in a musty old library most of the day, Ron." Hermione said.

"What library?" Ron asked. Hermione cursed.

"You _know_ I can't answer that. I'm sorry, Ron, I really am. I'm _literally unable_ to tell you. And what's worse, I'm not able to tell you _why_ I can't tell you!" Hermione said, on the verge of tears. Ron's blue eyes were icy as she tried to make him understand her distress.

"And how do I know you're not lying? How do I know you're not sneaking around, having a bit of _fun_ while you're out of the house?" He asked, scathingly.

"Ron, you're the _only_ person I've ever been with. You're it! And I _don't want anyone else._ " Hermione was sobbing now. She wanted him to see how badly his accusations hurt her, wanted to show him that she was his, and only his.

"Yeah? Well you sure don't act like it. You haven't slept with me in nearly two months, Hermione. A man's got needs. What am I supposed to do?" Ron said, hotly.

"Use your hand. You honestly expect me to come home from a twelve hour shift, a mind-numbing, exhausting day, and take care of _your_ needs?" Hermione asked, her voice shrilling higher and higher the angrier she got.

"Of course I do. I took care of yours when I was an Auror, working the same hours you were." he yelled, stalking closer to her.

"No, Ron. I have never once asked you for sex after work." Hermione said, coldly.

"Well you sure as hell didn't complain while I was shagging you senseless!" He said, his face getting redder by the second.

"I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it has _always_ been just that: a gift. I'm done arguing about this, Ron. I just want to eat and go to bed." She said, turning away from him and attempting to step around him. He grabbed her arm roughly, squeezing it a little too hard.

"No, Hermione. That's _all you do_ these days. Eat, sleep, and work. It's like you're not even here, like _I'm_ not even here." Ron shouted.

"Every time I'm home, you get angry for me not being home. What do you want me to do, Ron, quit my job? Stay home, cook and clean and be a proper housewife?" Hermione scowled.

"Sure! See, that's the most reasonable thing you've said all night. Why don't you do that?" Ron said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Because I'm _not a housewife_ , Ronald!" Hermione shrilled. "Not yet. I want to be out there, making a difference. There's so much left to be discovered, and _I_ want to discover it. And I can't do that cooped up in the house, knitting sweaters and breeding children." Ron's temper burst at the last line. She hadn't meant it as a jab at his mother, but he obviously took it that way. He glowered at her, shoving her away from him hard and turning away.

She fell backward, her head hitting the wall with a bang, causing the wooden spice rack above her to come crashing down on top of her. He turned back to her, horror in his eyes. She looked up to him, feeling a distinct pain under her eye and along the side of her face. She raised a hand to the puffy, hot skin and her fingers felt sticky with fresh blood. She looked around her at the scattered jars and bottles, some of which had been glass and now lay shattered across the floor.

"I'm leaving." Hermione said, suddenly. She said it calmly, pulling herself up and dusting her dress off. Ron stared at her dumbly, his eyes glued to her face where she could feel her pulse in the growing bruise along the side of her face. She picked her way carefully through the shattered glass and scattered herbs and gathered her work bag and purse from the chair she had deposited left them in earlier and left the kitchen, heading for the door. That seemed to wake Ron from his dumbfounded horror and he called out to her.

"Hermione, wait! I didn't mean to hurt you, honest." He said, grabbing her wrist again to spin her around. Hermione was quick, though and as he spun her, she drew her wand, pointing it in his face and causing him to stagger back.

"Don't." She said, brown eyes burning into his. "Don't touch me. I'm leaving now, before this escalates further. Don't follow me." Hermione said, storing her wand back in her robes and exiting the flat quickly.

She walked down the dark street quietly, thinking. Where was she to go? The obvious first choice was Grimmauld Place. Harry would take her in in a heartbeat. But she was unsure about Ginny's reaction to the fight, and if Ron _did_ come looking for her, that would be the first place he'd check.

Her next choice was Theo. He'd told her several times that if she ever needed somewhere to crash, he had a spare bed for her. However, she'd never actually taken him up on the offer, and so she had no idea where he lived, and she couldn't very well write him with no owl. She supposed she could stay at the Leaky, or perhaps The Three Broomsticks, but she really didn't want to be alone, let alone around so many drunks.

So that left one place. Hermione turned on the spot, the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a rubber tube overwhelming her senses and she felt herself land on the cobbled walkway leading to Malfoy Manor. She took a deep breath and tapped wand on the gate, knowing it would open for her. When Draco had been reinstated as the owner of the Manor, he'd updated the charms to allow her and Theo access to the Manor.

She walked up the walkway to the front of the manor slowly. She could feel the pounding in her head getting worse, and she stumbled once or twice getting up to the door. She knocked loudly, knowing Draco would have been alerted the moment she crossed the barrier around the property. He opened the door with a confused look that soon turned to one of anger.

"Hermione, what happened?" He demanded, opening the door wider and ushering her in. She stumbled again, nearly falling on the marble before Draco caught her around the waist.

"Easy, there." He said, holding onto her as he shut the door. He walked her to the sitting room, helping her stay upright before helping her sit and sending a message to Theo via patronus. He looked her over, examining the bruises she'd sustained to her face looked her over for any other injuries. He noticed her wrist was slightly swollen and red as well.

"Weasley did this, didn't he?" Draco asked, softly. Over the past few weeks, Theo had explained to him why Hermione came in upset so often, why she cried in the mornings. Draco had learned to leave her be if she was irritable, to let Theo handle the fallout. Hermione nodded, feeling a little shell-shocked. Yes, she was glad she wasn't alone. That was the thought on her mind when she heard the soft whoosh of the floo.

Theo was suddenly beside her, his hands on her face, his eyes checking her for signs of damage. Hermione noticed he was shaking, noticed his blue eyes were icy, nearly murderous.

"Theo," Hermione murmured, her voice sounding small and far away. "It's okay. I'm fine. Calm down." Draco laughed once, reappearing on the couch beside her, a cool rag in his hand that he used to wash the sticky, half-dried blood from her face.

"I'd listen to her, Theo. I really don't want to have to break you out of Azkaban." he murmured, dabbing a thick, yellow paste on Hermione's bruised face. She recoiled at first, but Draco cooed softly, holding her hand, while Theo pulled her hair out of the way. Theo smiled a bit at Draco's comment.

"Who are you kidding, Draco? You'd be in there with me." Theo said, darkly. Draco allowed that.

"Can you talk about what happened, Hermione?" Draco asked, finishing with the bruise removal paste. She took a deep breath, nodding. Her headache was staying pretty constant now, and she could think a bit clearer now that the pain in her face was easing a bit. She slowly told the men what had happened, trying her best to keep from bursting into tears.

"How could he be so careless?" Theo asked, outraged. He was pacing the floors, unable to stay still. Draco sat beside Hermione, his white-knuckled fists balled up in his lap.

"I'm not mad at him for hurting me. Not really. It was an accident, you could see it in his face." Hermione said, meaning every word of it. She knew he hadn't intended to harm her. But then she supposed the road to hell was paved with good intentions.

"Hermione, he shoved you into a wall, which led to a pretty significant head injury. There's a cut or two close to your hairline that will likely leave scars. You can't tell me that you're honestly thinking of staying with someone who did that to you?" Theo said, exasperatedly.

"I don't plan on staying with him, Theo. We've had too many arguments that have escalated too far. I can't live like that anymore. I'm just saying that I don't think Ron is an abuser. He was terrified that he hurt me, ran after me when he'd snapped out of his horror." Hermione sighed. "Ron's a good man, in the end. He's just not good for me." Draco squeezed her hand comfortingly. Theo seemed placated with her assessment and finally sat down on the other side of her.

"You'll be staying with me until you've got it settled, then." He said, assertively. Hermione grinned.

"So glad I have a choice in the matter." She chuckled, elbowing him playfully.

"His spare room's actually quite cozy, Hermione. You might not want to leave." Draco smirked.

"Like you, mate? Hardly left it when you stayed with me." Theo snipped back, relaxing a bit.

"Rooming with a prat like you, why would I want to?" Draco chuckled when Hermione shook her head amusedly.

"If it's all the same, I don't think I'm up to travel tonight. Would you mind terribly if I crashed here tonight, Draco?" Hermione asked, her chocolate eyes meeting soft grey.

"Hermione, you showed up at my house covered in blood and bruises, tearstained makeup everywhere, and looking a right mess. You told me in detail about how your boyfriend shoved you into a wall, and then just _stood there_. I examined the damage, patched you up, and called for backup from Theo, just in case I couldn't handle this. Do you honestly think I'd have a problem with you spending the night?" Draco asked her, mock-exasperation clearly written upon his face. Hermione watched the light in his eyes dance with the half smile he wore.

"You're still too much of a mystery to me. Never know how you're gonna react." She shrugged. He and Theo both laughed at that.

"Well, Hermione you're more than welcome to spend the night, but Theo's going to hate me." Draco said, grinning. Theo leaned forward, so he could see past Hermione, and frowned at Draco.

"And why, may I ask, is that?" He inquired warily.

"She's got a head injury. You and I will have to take shifts staying up to monitor her. Wake her up every two hours, all that." Draco chuckled when Theo groaned.

"Sometimes, I _really_ hate you, Draco." Theo muttered. "But then there are other times that I'm just thankful that you're not a complete dunderhead."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Draco winked, coaxing a giggle out of Hermione. Her stomach chose then to imitate an Ukrainian Ironbelly and both men burst out laughing at her shocked expression.

"Right," Draco said when he could breathe, "I completely agree, Hermione. Let's eat."


	6. God Would Be Forgiving

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _October 19, 2000 London, England - Hermione and Theo's Office_

Draco stood behind Hermione, leaning slightly on the desk and reading over her shoulder. He knew she hated that, but he'd proven to her that it saved time and just made sense. As such, she allowed it, but only given that he maintain some semblance of personal space. Draco was usually pretty good about that, but sometimes, like today, the text was too small or too messy to make out from his perch above her. Because the document they were examining was rather important, he forgot all about personal boundaries. He braced one hand on the desk in front of them, the other resting on the back of her chair. He bent his neck toward the document, reading carefully without realizing he was playing with one of Hermione's curls. She didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't comment on it. Her face was scrunched up in concentration as she tried to comprehend the words on the page.

Draco had noticed when they worked that Hermione had a habit of talking to herself. He'd teased her about it at first, but when they'd started reading these more important documents together, they'd fallen into the habit of commenting upon the work to each other aloud, as they read at nearly the same pace. Draco knew exactly which part had Hermione frowning so disconcertingly.

"Is that possible? I mean, it lines up with my research on the time-turners, and I _think_ it's within the realm of possibility." Hermione said, tracing her finger over the phrase that had stumped her.

"'Particle acceleration as a means to time travel.' Hermione, you're going to have to explain that one." Draco said, shaking his head. Theo, at his desk across from them, raised his head at that.

"Particle acceleration? I thought we ruled that out?" he asked Hermione, questioningly. Hermione sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"So, in physics, there is a theory called the theory of relativity. Part of this theory is a concept called time dilation, which is the difference of elapsed time as measured by observers either moving relative to each other or positioned differently in relation to each other from a gravitational mass or masses. It explains why two clocks will read different times after undergoing different accelerations. The concept holds that the faster an object moves through space, the slower time moves in relation to an outside observer." Hermione explained to Draco.

"The theory we rejected was the if you sped up the particles in a human body to approaching light speed, you could essentially time-jump without it affecting your physical age." Theo interjected.

"We ruled that solution out because we feared that the instantaneous deceleration would cause a shock wave that would kill the subject." Hermione said, looking over to Theo. "But this theory, the one I'm reading about, suggests it would be possible to create a device that would not only be able to accelerate the particles, but that it would be able to adequately _decelerate_ the particles to minimize the shock of a sudden full stop." Theo's eyebrows shot up, and he stood, rounding his desk and taking the paper from Hermione, scanning it quickly.

"This has some merit. Not precisely sure how to use it as of yet, but the theory is sound. Highly experimental, but sound." Theo said, his eyes alight.

"I have an idea of how to use it." Draco said, wonderingly. "The time-turners and the tempus device both used forms of wormholes stabilized with spellwork. For the time-turner, you could only go back so long because of the spells provided the energy required to open the wormhole, and the regulations in place prevented enhancing those spells. For the tempus device, it's unclear where the energy comes from to sustain the wormhole, but it should be significantly less than required for the time-turner because the wormhole doesn't need to remain open, because the user doesn't take the device with them as is the case of the time-turner. The particle accelerator could, theoretically, be used to bring the subject back from the past." Hermione's eyes lit up, and Theo gasped.

"Draco, that's brilliant. We have a direction, then." Hermione said, taking up her quill and immediately beginning to jot down notes on the pad in front of her. "We've still to find the original schematics for the tempus device, and a more in-depth analysis on how it works. We'll have to either locate or develop schematics for the accelerator, as well. We need to notify Robins of our findings in our reports, and-" her quill was plucked from her hand. She stared dumbly at the paper for a moment before looking up at Theo.

"And you need to calm down before you have an aneurysm." Theo chuckled. "First things first, we need to find the schematics. Robins knows that's what we're doing currently, and he'll get a report when we have something new to tell him. As of yet, this is all speculation." Theo said, returning to his seat. Hermione took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right. I'm keeping the list, though. Can't hurt to have the big picture view handy, you know?" Hermione smiled. Draco shook his head and picked up a stack of folders that Hermione and Theo had finished with; he needed to file them away soon, otherwise he wouldn't be able to lift the pile. He made that mistake once and had spent the entire day separating the papers that he'd scattered all over the archives floor into their original folders.

He adjusted his grip on the stack and headed for the door when the door sprung open, catching him off guard and sending the pile of documents flying from his hands. His heart stopped for a split second before Theo, ever the quick thinker, pulled his wand and sent the falling papers back into their stack, before they placed themselves neatly on the edge of his desk. Draco nodded at Theo for the quick thinking before turning and scowling at the cause of the accident. Harry Potter stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on Hermione.

"Watch where you're going, Potter. I've got enough problems without having to resort about a thousand pages of research." He said, throwing a glare at him. Harry ignored him though, a frown on his face.

"Hermione, may I have a word with you? In private?" Harry asked, his voice a little too rigid for Draco's liking. Wasn't he supposed to be her best friend? Draco noticed Theo's back straighten in his chair, his eyes finding Hermione. Hermione herself just frowned, putting down the document she'd picked up.

"Whatever you have to say, Harry, you can say it here. They'll hear us no matter where we go down here, any way, and I've got rather a lot of work to do." Hermione said, motioning to the stack of papers next to her. Harry glanced at Draco and Theo warily, but must have decided their opinions were negligible.

"Ron's sent me. I've been playing nursemaid to him for the past two days. He says you left Tuesday night and haven't been back home since. He's worried sick, 'Mione, pacing the floors, all of it. He said he didn't understand why you didn't come home. Gin threw a fit, reminded me a bit of her mother, actually. Honestly, I couldn't make heads or tails of his story. Ron seemed pretty shaken up, he was all over the place. What happened?" Harry asked her.

Draco clenched his jaw tightly. He didn't know? Weasley hadn't told him the story? But then, Draco supposed, why would he? Self preservation demanded he paint himself in the best light, and that light didn't include the part where he had hurt his girlfriend, intentional or not. He felt his hands curl into fists at his side as he watched Hermione's face. It had changed from a soft frown to a blank mask. A front, void of all emotion. All but her eyes. It was there that Draco could see the war raging in her mind.

"We had an argument, Harry. It got a little too heated and I left so it would stop." Hermione said, carefully.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Harry asked, sounding almost hurt. Hermione smiled sadly.

"Because Ron did, didn't he? I knew if I came to you, he would follow me. Then there's Ginny." Hermione told him. Harry winced.

"Yeah, best you weren't there to hear what she had to say. You know the Weasleys. Hot headed and don't mean half of what they say when they're angry." Harry said. "So when are you going home? Ron's going mental."

"I'm not, Harry. At least, I'm not going back _home_ to Ron. I'm breaking up with him. Haven't had the strength to actually write the letter and have him meet me yet, but it's over." Hermione looked down. Harry stood there, frowning.

"What? Just like that? You're breaking up with him because of another stupid fight?" Harry questioned, and Hermione didn't meet his eye, but just nodded. Draco saw a tear fall down her face and he lost the ability to remain quiet.

"You're awfully thick, Potter." He said, tensely. Harry's head snapped up to Draco.

"Sod off, Malfoy, this doesn't involve you." Harry said coldly.

"I reckon it does, as it was my house she showed up at Tuesday night." Draco called. He saw Hermione cover her mouth, heard the sounds of her sobs increasing, and his eyes met Theo's in a split second. His eyes told him everything he needed to know, and in a moment, they were springing in action. Theo bounded up from his desk, around to kneel on the floor beside Hermione. Draco knew Theo'd dealt with Hermione's panic attacks before, so he occupied himself with Harry, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him bodily out of the room.

"Hey, what's going on? What- what happened?" Harry asked, looking past Draco, through the open door to the office where Theo was murmuring softly to Hermione, just as Hermione fully broke down.

"She's having a panic attack, Potter. She's been through a rough two days, and you bursting in here and demanding to know when she'll be home didn't help much." Draco explained.

"What do you mean? She and Ron have fights all the time! I've never seen her react like this to one." Harry muttered.

"Theo has." Draco said simply. "Where do you think he learned to recognize the signs? Where do you think _I_ learned to recognize the signs?" Draco shook his head. "And this fight wasn't just any fight, Potter." Harry turned to look at Draco.

"What do you mean?" He asked, almost desperately. "I haven't been able to get details out of Ron. Did she tell you what happened that night?" Draco nodded.

"She showed up at my house, her face bruised and bloody, stumbling about like a drunk, though she hadn't had anything to drink." Draco told him. Harry gasped.

"What? Ron didn't say-" Harry shook his head. "Who hurt her?"

"Of course Ron didn't tell you, Potter, even if it was unintentional. Hermione was insistent about that, she kept saying he didn't mean to, it wasn't his fault, it was an accident. Accident or no, Weasley hurt Hermione. In the heat of a moment, he shoved her back into the wall and the spice rack fell on her head. Cut her up in a couple spots, gave her one hell of a bruise on her face, and a mild concussion." Draco informed him.

"He- he hurt her that bad?" Harry seemed to struggle with the concept. "And he didn't tell me? And worse, _she_ didn't tell me?" Harry began pacing. "She seemed fine just a few weeks ago, rattled, maybe, but after I talked with Ron, things seemed to settle down. I thought she was doing okay."

"Potter she hasn't been _okay_ for quite some time. She come to work on more than one occasion, just since I've been here, crying. If she wasn't crying then, you could tell she'd been. Theo always tries to cheer her up, but that's not the same as being okay. If I can see these sort of things, if I can tell how _not okay_ she is, Potter, you have no excuse."

"I'm her best friend." Harry asserted weakly. Draco could tell he wasn't too sure about that anymore.

"You might have been, once. But now I think that role belongs to Theo." Draco turned, watching Theo and Hermione interact. He was smiling up at her, wiping the tears from her face. Draco heard Harry curse behind him.

"I've been quite dense, haven't I? How the hell am I going to make up for this?" Harry murmured.

"Don't walk away from her now." Draco said, without looking at him. "She's going to need you when she actually breaks up with him. Go talk to her," He looked over at Harry, nodding his head back towards Hermione. "And don't be such a dunderhead this time around." Draco managed a small smirk at that. Harry took a deep breath and nodded, heading toward the office. He paused before he got there, turning back to Draco.

"Thank you. For taking care of her and setting me straight." He told Draco. Draco merely nodded once and watched the man enter the office. Theo glared at him at first, but then met Draco's eye from across the room. Draco nodded to him, and Theo relented, standing with a final squeeze of Hermione's hand. Theo joined Draco in the time room just outside the office, where they could watch Harry and Hermione's interactions while still giving them a bit of privacy. The corner of Draco's lip twitched up when Hermione threw herself into Harry's arms.

"She's gonna be okay." Draco muttered softly, as much for Theo's sake as his own. Theo sighed, but nodded his agreement.

"How's your mother?" Theo asked, not looking at the other man. It was Draco's turn to sigh.

"She's not eating. The Healers have suggested moving her back to the Manor and making her comfortable. They're not expecting her to last more than a few weeks." Draco said quietly. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Theo wasn't one to apologize for things he couldn't control. Instead, he'd offer the comfort and support his friend needed.

"Thanks." Draco said, checking his watch. "I've got to go. It's her last night in the hospital and I'm hoping I can get her to eat _something_." Theo nodded.

"I've got this under control." He motioned to the office. "She'll understand."

Draco knew she'd understand. Even when she was dealing with so much shit on her own, she always understood that he was going through hell as well. He clapped Theo on the back, then turned away from the office, allowing his mind to go blank as his feet carried him to the familiar halls of St. Mungos.


	7. Young and Unafraid

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _October 23, 2000 London, England - Hermione and Theo's Office_

Draco filed away the last folder in his stack and pulled himself upright, heading back into the office. Theo was going writing out a report for the documents they'd pulled from the manor library, and that were now being filed into the time archives. Hermione was absently leafing through the ever-growing pile of documents, seeming disinterested. Draco chuckled as he watched her play with a curl absently while staring blankly at the page in front of her.

"Alright there, Hermione?" he asked with a smirk. She shook her head as though to clear it, looking up at him.

"Yeah. I think I'm just hungry. Been zoning out all morning." Hermione said, stretching her back a little.

"You didn't eat this morning, did you?" Theo asked, without looking up from his report. Hermione smiled sheepishly, looking up at Draco.

"I swear, I can't get away with anything with that man. How can you stand it?" Hermione asked. Draco merely shrugged.

"I don't try to get away with anything anymore. I've accepted that Theo is all-knowing." he smirked.

"I don't know _everything_." Theo protested. "Just most things."

"Well, _I'm_ headed out to lunch. You two care to join me?" Draco asked, looking between the two. Theo looked up to Hermione before replying.

"I've really got to finish this report as soon as I can, but you two should go and bring me something good back." Theo smirked. Hermione's stomach growled a little, and she grabbed her purse, abandoning her work where it lay.

"I'm in. Been craving fish and chips though." Hermione said, rounding her desk.

"You're in luck, then. I know just the place." Draco smiled, following her out of the office and glancing at Theo on his way out. He frowned as the man grinned broadly at his report, not meeting Draco's eye. He shook his head and continued on out the door.

* * *

 _Later, London, England - A Diner_

"Okay, Draco, you were right, this place _is_ good." Hermione conceded, popping another chip into her mouth.

"Always am." Draco grinned.

"Glad to see your lack of humility has resurfaced. Does this mean the old Draco is returning slowly?" Hermione asked playfully. Draco thought on that question for a moment.

"No. I don't think the old Draco is returning. I think I've just finally decided to create my own personality instead of adopting those of others." He said, thoughtfully.

"Maybe you should write a book. _Becoming Draco Malfoy: An Autobiography_. I'd read it." Hermione smirked.

"Please, even _I_ am not _that_ full of myself." Draco snorted, but then paused. "You'd read it?" Hermione giggled, her face flushing a bit.

"Of course. I told you before, you're quite the mystery to me. I'd love to know what goes on in that head of yours." she shrugged, "But maybe that's just me being nosey."

"Nosey or otherwise, it feels- odd, having someone express an interest in me." Draco said, sobering slightly. "Not in a bad way. Just, it's been just me and Mum since the war ended. I've spent that time shut away, not really interacting with anyone since the trials. Well, until Mum got sick." Draco flushed when he heard his voice crack. It was still hard to talk about her. He looked down at his nearly empty plate to avoid Hermione's gaze, but he felt her soft hand rest over his on the table, without saying a word. He couldn't help but grin wryly.

"Theo's rubbing off on you." he observed, looking up at her hand on his. He felt Hermione shrug more than he saw it.

"Not a bad thing. How is she doing, now that she's home?" Hermione spoke softly.

"Much the same. I'd hoped she'd start eating a little better, but it actually seems to be getting worse." Draco closed his eyes. However much he'd tried coming to terms with his mother's illness, he couldn't really say he was ready for the inevitable.

"If you need anything, Draco," Hermione said, "Food, company, someone to let you know you're not alone, let me know. And it should go without saying that Theo feels the same." Draco nodded. Theo had told them both that.

"How are you doing? You officially broke up with Weasley, right?" Draco asked, peeking up at her. Her head bowed a bit.

"I'm fine." Hermione said softly, but when Draco met her eyes he knew she was lying.

"Yeah, you know, you look fine." he said, looking into her confused eyes. She knew it was a lie then, too.

"What-?"

"Freaking out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional." Draco turned his hand, the one that Hermione still held, so that he could squeeze hers gently.

"Why do you we lie to ourselves like this?" He asked, looking at their hands and not her face. He ran his thumb in soothing circles along the back of Hermione's hand. She let out a sigh.

"It's better than acknowledging we're falling apart." she murmured softly.

"But is it?" Draco asked. If Theo had taught him anything over the years, it was that lies and secrets could kill you faster than a Killing Curse. That's why he didn't lie to Theo, not that it did any good to try.

"A wise man once told me it's easier to fix a broken house than rebuild a destroyed one." Draco told her. "I've started fixing my house. I think you should, too." Hermione nodded slowly.

"I think- I think I can do that." she started. "Could- is there any way we could do this together? Hold each other accountable?" Hermione looked down, blushing. Draco grinned at her.

"Tell you what. Every day at lunch, we'll sit down and talk. I'll be open with you if you'll be open with me. Just one hour out of the day devoted to being completely, brutally honest with ourselves and each other. How's that sound?" Draco smiled when she met his eyes, and her chocolate orbs nearly glowed.

"That sounds wonderful." she said, then checked her watch. "Bollocks. We really need to get back, we're late. And Theo's probably hungry."

"We'll order him something to-go before we pay." Draco giving her hand a final squeeze before calling over a waitress and placing the order. Soon they were alone again and Hermione looked Draco over, a slight smile on her face.

"You've changed." She said, as if just realizing it. He smirked at her simple comment.

"We all do, Hermione." he answered, with a wink.

* * *

 _That Night, Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor_

Draco trudged up the stairs, his eyes strained from excessive reading. He was a little late today, and he hoped the mediwitch from Mungo's was still with his mother. He collected himself at the top of the stairs, steeling himself up to face his mother's fragile form. He padded to her door and gently opened it, hearing soft talking inside. Draco frowned. The mediwitch that was assigned to Narcissa was usually loud and boisterous, though not unfriendly. He walked into the room and stopped at the end of the bed, his mouth gaping wide.

"Oh, hello there, Draco. Cissy was just telling me you should be home soon." Andromeda Tonks said, perched beside his mother in the chair with a steaming plate of food, half gone, in her lap. Draco had written to Andromeda, his mother's only free surviving family member, to let her know how Narcissa was doing just before bringing her home. He hadn't gotten a response from her, and so he assumed that the banishment from the House of Black still weighed heavily on Andromeda.

"H-hello, Aunt Andromeda. I wasn't expecting you." Draco stammered. The older woman merely smiled.

"Sorry about that, dear. My owl was sick when I tried to reply to your letter, and then Teddy came down with the sniffles. It's been a rough week in my house." she said, scooping up some mashed potatoes and feeding them to Narcissa. His mother was so frail, with barely enough energy to keep herself from falling over while propped up on the pillows.

"Where is Teddy now?" Draco asked, frowning. He'd heard she'd gotten custody of the little boy after his Aunt Bellatrix had murdered his parents.

"Harry and Ginny are watching him tonight. They haven't had a chance to see him since he got sick, and I really needed to be with my sister." Andromeda said, her hand squeezing Narcissa's. "Draco, I'm so proud of you. Taking care of your mother like this- she told me what you've been doing." she said.

"Draco, my boy," His mother's voice was wispy, as though she didn't have enough air in her lungs. "Thank you for bringing my sister back to me." Her eyes were teary as her emaciated hand clutched at Andromeda's.

"I just want you to be comfortable and happy, Mum." Draco said, moving to her bedside and kissing her forehead.

"Draco, dear, dinner is in the kitchen. You should go eat. I'll take good care of Cissy while you rest." Andromeda insisted. Draco nodded, his eyes conveying the silent thanks that he couldn't form into words.

His feet carried him to the kitchen while his brain was still trying to process what had happened. Is this what it felt like to be part of a family? His Aunt Bellatrix had been around often after she'd broken out of Azkaban, but that sense of family was strained, spurred on by the war and tension with the Dark Lord's presence. The relationship with his mother and father had been much the same, until the last battle, when they'd dropped everything for their son.

That had made the pain of losing his father to Azkaban all the worse. Family was all he'd wanted in those months after the war, and the Ministry had taken from him even that. He and his mother, all the family he had left, fled. They had to get out from under the eye of Wizarding society. So they locked themselves away in a decrepit old house. Draco couldn't work so soon after the trials. They paid the rent with what little money they had left. They knew the house was in rough shape, but they could barely afford the rent and food. Draco spent all the time he could away from the house. He couldn't stand the dark, dingy place, couldn't handle the musty smell. He knew now that was why his mother was sick and he wasn't.

When his mother had become sick, she didn't want to go to St. Mungo's. It was too much money, too expensive. She was positive that she'd be fine in a week or two. But she wasn't. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Pretty soon, it had been a year, and she'd only gotten worse. Draco had rushed her to the hospital when she started vomiting blood uncontrollably.

Stage four lung cancer, caused by black mold poisoning. Draco couldn't believe it. He begged the healers to try anything, telling them that there had to be _something_ they could do. But there was nothing. It had progressed too far, metastasized to other major organs. All they could do was buy her a bit of time.

He blamed himself. He could have stopped it, could have taken her to the doctor before, could have gotten her out of the environment. He could have, he _should_ have done more to protect his mother.

But she never blamed him once. She took the diagnosis on the chin; she knew she didn't have long to live. That first night, Draco and his mother had held each other close. They had cried together. He had fallen asleep still holding on to her for dear life.

Draco entered the kitchen, making himself a plate and sitting down at the little table there. His life had changed so drastically from what he'd known just a year ago. He had friends. He had family. He had a job, and a house, and everything was okay.

Except nothing was okay. Draco knew he'd survive. He had to. He'd made it through the war, and he'd make it through this. It would be hell on earth, but he'd survive, bearing all the scars that came with it. He looked down to his left arm.

The faded, silver-pink outline of the Dark Mark stared back at him. He hated it; it was the symbol for all the death and destruction of the war, of his family. But he hated himself more for bearing it. For accepting such a symbol as his own.

He ate, his mind a roiling pot rife with turmoil. Until he thought to earlier that same day. A pretty brown-eyed girl, a promise he'd made to her, and to himself. He took a deep breath and acknowledged the way he was feeling, trying to define it, categorize it. By giving his feelings a name, it made them real. By acknowledging they were real, he could properly deal with them. He stored away the labels and the emotions like he would a file in the archives, putting his mind in order. By the time he was finished eating, his mind was clear and focused. He held his head high and his back straight.

He could do this.


	8. Tigers Come at Night

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _October 27, 2000 Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor_

Draco was awoken shortly before dawn by a persistent tapping on his shoulder by wand light. He opened his eyes drowsily, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Draco. Draco, love, wake up." He heard Andromeda's voice, raw and cracking, calling out to him. She'd spent the past week at the Manor with Narcissa and Malfoy, sleeping in one of the manors many guest rooms. She'd brought Teddy along to meet his great-aunt one day, but for the most part, the little boy stayed with Harry, and it was a good thing.

Narcissa's health was deteriorating fast. She seemed to be at peace with her demise, and the reappearance of her sister had seemed to put her more at ease. Draco knew there was nothing he could do but wait, and it seemed as though the wait was over.

"Draco, are you awake, dear?" Andromeda asked, pointing her wand towards the ceiling so the light filled the room.

"Yes. What happened, Aunt Andromeda?" Draco said, pulling himself upright and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Narcissa- she-" Andromeda had to take a moment, her eyes filled with tears.

"She's gone?" Draco asked, his eyes wide. Andromeda nodded, her face covered with her hand. Draco had to see. He pushed himself up, grabbing his wand from the nightstand. He numbly passed his sobbing aunt, and padded down the hall, blankly. He wouldn't believe she was gone until he saw it for himself. He entered quietly into her room, padding over to the side of her bed and lighting his wand. Her chest did not rise nor fall. He didn't hear the tell-tale signs of her labored breathing. He reached out and touched her face, his hand trailing to the pulsepoint just beneath the jaw. Her skin was cold, her pulse, nonexistent.

And that was when he lost it. He fell to his knees, the weeks and months of anger, guilt, hopelessness all surging to the surface in that one moment. He cried, he screamed, he clawed at his chest, at the spot where it seemed an empty pit had taken over, sucking in his entire world. He didn't register when Andromeda came in, taking him by the shoulders and guiding him out of the room, back to his own, where he sat on the bed, staring at the wall. He didn't think about work, didn't think about arrangements. It was all he could do to focus on his breathing.

Inhale. Exhale. He was still alive. He was still here, and she wasn't. A dull, throbbing pain beat in his chest.

Inhale. Exhale. He was vaguely aware of his aunt telling him she'd written to the Ministry. Someone would be there soon to collect the body.

Inhale. Exhale. It was sometime later, he guessed late morning by the light spilling in from the window. He heard a knock at his bedroom door, then Andromeda popped her head into the room.

"Draco, you have a couple friends here. Hermione and Theo?" she said softly. Draco couldn't bring himself to respond. He heard soft voices in the hall, then his door was opened furth and Theo was kneeling in front of him.

"Draco. I know this is hard, but you need to stay with us. We need to get you out of your head." Theo said firmly. He looked Draco straight in the eyes, his blue orbs caring, but stern.

"I'm here. Hermione is here. You _are not alone_ , Draco, do you hear me?" Theo said, his voice exactly what Draco needed. Then he saw her, out of the corner of his eye. His head swivelled to meet her gaze.

"It's lunch time, Draco." Hermione said, a small, sad smile in place. She held out her hand. "Let's go eat, then we can talk."

Draco took her hand, allowing her to help him up. He didn't let go when he stood, but held on as though his life depended on it. She just smiled, squeezing his hand gently as she guided him to the dining room. Theo trailed along behind them. Andromeda had made lunch, grilled cheese and tomato soup. They sat down to eat, at the little table in the kitchen instead of the banquet-sized table in the dining room. Theo kept a careful eye on Draco, but Hermione relaxed, falling into the easy pattern they'd repeated for most of the week.

They ate quietly, enjoying each other's company. Then, when everyone was nearly finished, Hermione started talking.

"I've been feeling inadequate." She said, not meeting Draco's eye. He nodded.

"I can understand that." He said, speaking for the first time in hours. His throat felt raw and he could hear the cracking in it. "What's the cause?"

"I worry about being too broken to help you. Too broken to be of any use." Hermione confided, looking down at her lap. Draco was shocked to find himself smiling.

"That's silly, Hermione." He told her. She looked up, frowning. Her frown turned to mild surprise when she saw his expression. "You've already helped me more than anyone else."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Theo asked with a nudge to his best mate.

"Yes." Draco said simply, before laughing at Theo's expression.

"Blimey, am I glad to hear you laughing, mate. At my expense or otherwise." Theo said, relief washing over his features.

"I understand why Robins put the two of you together, now." Draco said, frowning a little. "You two are so in sync, you're nearly the same person. Theo hit me hard to get my attention, and Hermione brought me back with our accountability ritual." Draco shook his head. "Seriously, where would I be without you two?" he murmured.

"Probably still hungry in your room." Hermione said. "But we're not done here. You haven't opened up. And I _know_ you need to; what are you feeling, right now."

"Grateful. Numb. 'Sad' doesn't do it justice, but it isn't quite depression. If I could give it a color, it would be a dull blue-grey. Like a storm cloud." Draco said thoughtfully.

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, each lost in their thoughts.

"How did you know?" Draco asked finally. Hermione smiled sadly.

"Harry told us. Andromeda had sent him an owl. Teddy has been spending the days with Molly Weasley, you see, and she needed to let him know that she needed him to keep him at night until further notice. He rushed down to tell us as soon as he got word. Theo was beside himself with worry." Hermione giggled, as Theo glared at her.

"Me? I'm not the one who insisted we leave immediately." he spat.

"Not _immediately_. We did have to tell Robins, after all." Hermione retorted. "We took our lunch early to come check on you. Knew you'd need some form of support. Robins told us to let you know that you can, and this is a direct quote, 'take as much time as you need, just make sure you're back in a week.'" Draco snorted a little.

"Wonderful boss we have, isn't he?" Draco smiled. "Seriously. A full week's time off does sound great. I'll need time to plan the funeral with Andromeda. You'll be there?" Draco asked, looking down.

"Of course we'll be there." Hermione answered immediately. Draco allowed himself to relax a little. Knowing he had a support system, friends and family that cared about him, helped him realize that everything he was going through was normal.

Hermione and Theo stood, getting ready to head back to the office.

"Hermione," Draco called, still seated at the table. She turned back to him, brows arched. "You'll have lunch with me tomorrow?" he asked hopefully. He didn't know how badly he needed their lunchtime talks until now. Hermione smiled widely.

"Of course, Draco. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze on her way out of the kitchen. Theo clapped him on the back, lingering for just a moment.

"Hang in there, mate. We've got you." He murmured, before disappearing through the door after Hermione.

* * *

 _October 29, 2000 London, England - Theo's Flat_

The funeral had been a small affair, as Narcissa had only had three living relatives. Draco had been mentally and emotionally exhausted, but Theo had somehow been able to tell that he didn't want to be alone. So Theo had invited Draco back to his flat, for a change of scenery and as an escape from keeping up appearances.

Draco felt himself sag into the leather sofa, the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. Theo had an air about him that spoke of indifference. If he chose to be your friend, he'd thought about it carefully, and only very extreme circumstances could he be dissuaded from a friendship. That allowed Draco a level of comfort around Theo that he hadn't experienced with anyone else in his years at Hogwarts.

"Bloody hell, I could go for a drink." Draco said, scrubbing a hand down his face. Theo laughed, pulling out his wand and summoning two glasses and a decanter of firewhiskey from the liquor cabinet in the kitchen. He poured a measure for them both and handed Draco his glass. Draco had enough sense to not knock back the entire drink in one go, but he did take a rather large swig, grimacing at the taste.

"I always thought you were more of a vodka drinker, Theo." Draco commented.

"Oh, I am." Theo replied, swirling his whiskey around before taking a sip. "But firewhiskey's got cinnamon in it."

"And? You got a thing for cinnamon?" Draco asked, an eyebrow raised. Theo chuckled softly, his deep voice resonating through the room.

"No, Draco. Cinnamon is a mood stabilizer. There's no way I'd chance giving you alcohol with the potential of you lapsing into a depressive state. Hermione would have my head." It was Draco's turn to chuckle.

"Well, you're right there, mate." Draco conceded. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something, though." Theo sat down in the chair beside the couch, leaning forward, his arms braced on his knees.

"Alright, let's hear it." Theo grinned.

"So, I've noticed that you and Hermione are- close. Obviously, she just got out of a relationship and won't want to rush back into one, and I'm not insinuating that she should, I just-"

"Draco." Theo stopped him. "Spit it out." Draco took a deep breath, examining his drink before tossing it back.

"How do you think of Hermione? You two are close, and I was just wondering if there's any, you know, romantic interest there." Draco said, not meeting Theo's eye. Theo paused for a moment before chuckling.

"Draco, Hermione is one of my best friends, you being the other. I don't see her as anything more than platonic. She's actually more like a sister to me than anything." Draco sighed in relief.

"Thank Merlin. I was afraid this was gonna be really awkward and uncomfortable." he relaxed, grinning at the other boy.

"And when have you _ever_ known me to be awkward and uncomfortable to be around?" Theo asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, there was this time between fourth and fifth year. I don't know, I think it had something to do with puberty and your voice dropping like ten octaves over night." Draco smirked as Theo hit him with a little decorative pillow.

"Draco, I've been using every opportunity I've gotten the past few weeks to get you two alone together. Why do you think I bowed out of lunch last week?" It was Theo's turn to smirk. Draco's eyes widened.

"You've been trying to set us up?" Draco looked at his friend as though he'd sprouted a second head.

"Of course I have been. I saw the way she looks at you. She's _fascinated_ by you. I've seen that look in her eye, the one she has when she's talking to you, before, Draco. She only has it when she's talking to you, or she's found a particularly compelling document that challenges her." Theo told the other man. Draco nodded, a grin on his face.

"I know that look. Her eyes light up and her cheeks flush a bit. Wait, she gets like that? About me?" Draco asked, dumbfounded. Theo scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Yes, dunderhead. Open your eyes and you'll see that _every time_ you read over her shoulder, she blushes like crazy. Every time the two of you talk, her eyes light up." Theo shook his head dismally. "Even Potter saw through your facade of aloofness."

"Oi, to be fair, mate, the two of us have had a lot going on. The simplest things are beyond my mental range right now. I think you should cut me some slack." Draco protested.

"I'm just taking the mickey out of you, mate. I want you to know I support you fully in your endeavours and I have absolutely no problem playing wingman for you." Theo dropped a wink in Draco's direction. Draco chuckled, shaking his head and setting his glass on the coffee table before getting to his feet.

"I should head home. I'm exhausted." Draco said, actually meaning every word. Theo stood too, clapping Draco on the back.

"Hermione invited us round for tea Sunday. You be there, I expect?" Theo asked, a teasing light in his eye. Draco nodded, a lopsided grin in place.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."


	9. Voices Soft as Thunder

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _November 7, 2000 Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor Library_

It was well past dinner time, and still Draco, Hermione, and Theo were crowded into their own corner of the library, searching through thousands of years worth of compiled data and hoping to get lucky. They'd resigned themselves to focusing the majority of their efforts upon finding the original schematics for the tempus memoriam device. They simply couldn't progress any further until they knew how the prototype they were in possession of was supposed to work.

Theo looked up from the text he was reading, looking over to his colleagues. Hermione had sat herself in the middle of the library floor, surrounded by papers, books open to various pages, and a notebook sat in her lap, quill scribbling unceasingly. Theo smiled at the sight; her brows scrunched together as though she were putting together the pieces of a puzzle.

Then there was Draco. He sat at the little table, back hunched over his reading. Unlike Hermione, who spread her papers out to get a look at the big picture and maximize her time, Draco quickly and methodically worked his way through one bit of data at a time. He had a stack of unread books on his left, and two stacks on his right. The stack furthest away contained information he deemed not necessary, while the closer stack held relevant information. The closer stack was much shorter, and that seemed to frustrate Draco as he added another journal to the pile.

Theo looked over his own work space. His was a process somewhere between the two. Relevant information was kept close by, but Theo utilized levitation charm to suspend certain books in the air, spelled to stay open to the page he required. He also had a running list of source materials he may require later, their author, and a general synopsis of why he'd need them in the back of his notebook. The books on that list sat in a neat pile at his feet, out of the way, but at the ready should he need them.

It was in this moment of observation that Theo spotted something rather interesting. Among the books surrounding Hermione on the floor, a large green volume lay open beside her. In fact, that was the book she was frowning at so disconcertingly. It drew Theo's attention because he had read a similarly sized tome a few hours before, only the cover was red. He searched for the book in the pile at his feet and flipped the cover over to re-read the words embossed there.

Time and its Devices, Vol. 1. Theo remembered that when he'd picked this book up, the other two volumes were nowhere to be found. The three of them had gathered their source material from all over the library and study, so it was not out of the realm of possibility that they'd found individual parts of the same collection.

"Alright there, Hermione?" Theo called, curious by her ever-changing expressions as she read. She jumped a bit, startled by Theo's deep voice in the nearly silent room. Her eyes met his and she nodded.

"Yeah, just trying to figure out these numbers. It's like they're incomplete." Hermione said, sucking on the tip of her quill. Theo frowned.

"What book is that?" He asked, going with his gut.

"Time and its Devices, Vol. 2. Hermione replied, "Why?"

"I was looking for that earlier! I couldn't find it anywhere." Theo said, holding up the tome in his hand.

"I was looking for the rest, as well." Hermione said. "Where did you get that one?"

"Second level, left side, fourth book case from the right, second shelf from the bottom." Theo answered, referencing his guide. Hermione's frown deepened.

"That's where I got this one as well. Does yours make any sense?" Hermione asked. Theo shrugged.

"It's just spouting a bunch of philosophy. Talks about eternalism versus presentism and the problems each are interested in." Theo said. Then it clicked.

"Hermione, I read this book hours ago." Theo said, sitting up a little straighter. Hermione quirked her head to the side.

"What are you on to, Theo?" Hermione said, turning to look at him properly.

"We divide time into past, present, and future. Eternalism and presentism are both interested in those concepts. The author was clearly an advocate for eternalism. And then we have this example: I came across this book hours ago, but couldn't find any of the other books in the series. You came along later and discovered the same." Theo explained. At this point, Draco had put down his book and was listening in.

"A feeling in my gut tells me that if Draco were to go looking for the book, he'd find the first volume. It's basic eternalism: all layers of time exist simultaneously. There must have been a spell placed on the books by the author to only allow them to be read in a certain order: Past, present, and future." Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Shall we test this theory?" Draco asked, standing. Hermione nodded, and she and Theo watched as Draco made his way up the spiral staircase in the corner of the room to the second level. From his seat, Theo couldn't see Draco, but he could hear his footsteps above them.

"Left side, fourth case from the right?" Draco called.

"Yes. Second shelf from the bottom." Theo instructed. There was silence, but for the soft clunk of books being rearranged. Draco didn't call back down with what he'd found, he merely trudged back down the stairs, a blue book in his hand. He opened it, scanning it swiftly before smiling a bit. He flipped through a few more pages, his grin growing wider until he came to a page which had him laughing.

"You'll never believe this." Draco said, looking up at the other two. "They're schematics. From clocks to wormholes. And here is the schematic to our tempus device. It details everything, even goes on to explain how it works."

"No wonder they were charmed like that." Hermione said, realization in her voice. She stood, carefully extracting herself from her ring of notes and moving over to Draco. Theo had to see the schematics as well, just to get some verification that it was real. He moved to Draco's side and Draco held the book out in front of him so that all three could look over the schematics.

"This explains the incomplete numbers in the book I was reading! The books must have been written in that order for a reason. First, the theories of time, then, the actual calculations and science behind it, and then the actual devices." Hermione said. Theo looked up, meeting her eyes over the book.

"You know what this means, right?" Theo asked, his voice betraying his excitement.

"That we have a huge report to fill out tomorrow?" Hermione chuckled.

"I was more excited about the meeting with Robins and the look on his face when we tell him when and where we found this." Theo said, with a shrug. "But whatever floats your boat." Draco frowned.

"Why are you excited about that, Theo?" he asked. Hermione giggled and shook her head.

"Ordinarily, Theo and I aren't supposed to work overtime. If we don't meet our goals for the day by five, we usually voluntarily stay over without pay, because otherwise we'll be playing catch up the entire next day and will end up staying over anyway. Theo is excited because a find this big is something that would ordinarily warrant a bonus. And, knowing Theo, he'll just slip it into the report that we were working overtime tonight." Hermione smirked.

"I know how to play the system. If I can get an OT bonus on top of a regular bonus, I will." Theo smiled when Draco shook his head.

"It probably helps that you're Robins' favorite." Draco added, snapping the book shut and placing it on his desk.

"I don't think that man has favorites, Draco." Theo protested.

"Yeah, yeah." Draco teased, shoving his hands in his pockets and padding over to the library door. "I'm going to make some tea. Can I get you two a cuppa?" he asked. Hermione and Theo agreed and Draco vacated the room. Hermione stretched and plopped herself into Draco's comfy chair, looking at Theo with a smirk.

"You two act so much like brothers, it's hard to believe you were both only children." Hermione said. Theo shrugged, perching himself carefully on the edge of the desk in front of her.

"I suppose we sort of became brothers." Theo said, looking down at his lap.

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to the side. " I know you two were friends in school, but you never seemed this close."

"Most of our housemates never really got close to Draco and I. We were like idols to them." Theo said quietly. "My father was one of the most devout and loyal death eaters there was. Draco's father, though, was probably the most well-known. Because of this, everyone wanted to be seen with us, but they didn't want to talk to us. Sure, they'd ramble on about social standings, gossip that was going around, and homework. But none of them really cared."

"I know what you mean." Hermione said. "Most of the Gryffindors thought that Ron and I were just Harry's friends for the fame. I had a lot of girls who tried to cozy up to me to get to Harry." she rolled her eyes. Theo nodded.

"Exactly. Well, as the years went along, Father began to get more - prideful, shall we say, in the summer months. I underwent training to become a death eater as early as second year. By fifth year, when the Dark Lord had returned, I felt like I'd been put through the ringer. If I disobeyed even the smallest order, I'd get the Cruciatus. I stayed at school nearly every holiday I could. Fifth year was hard. I did it mostly on my own. But sixth year- that was the first year Draco and I really connected."

"Prat spent way too much time in the Astronomy Tower sulking over his life." Draco's voice came from the doorway. He carried a tray with cups and the teapot. Theo smiled at his friend.

"I believe it was I who found you sulking in the tower, actually." Theo threw back.

"Initially, perhaps, but it became quite a favorite place of yours." Draco set the tea down before them and began busying himself pouring the tea. "Eventually, it became the first place I'd go if I needed someone to talk to. We'd both look for each other in the great hall and common room, see. If the other wasn't there, we'd head to the tower. Chances were, one or both of us needed to talk. Or cry. Or scream." Draco explained.

"But sometimes we'd just sit there. He'd look at me, and I'd look at him and we'd both know we didn't need to say anything. Those were hardest times." Theo's voice cracked and he looked down, his dark hair falling into his eyes. One night flashed before his eyes again, as though it was yesterday.

 _He stood at the ledge of the tower, looking out at the sunrise. He'd spent all night standing there. Draco had been working on that blasted cabinet. He wasn't sure what started the downward spiral, but then he always got emotional on the anniversary of his mother's death. He missed her so much, he just wanted to see her again. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted the ache deep inside him every waking moment of every day to go away._

 _He closed his eyes, preparing himself. Just a weightless step. No more pain. No more-_

 _"Theo?"_

 _Draco. What was he doing here? Theo turned his head, his bloodshot eyes meeting Draco's pale, worn face. Draco's eyes were wide, clearly panicked._

 _"Theo, you promised." Draco said simply. "You promised you wouldn't leave me."_

 _"I- can't. I can't do this anymore."_

 _"Yes, you can, Theo. Remember what we said. No matter what happens, no matter how this war turns out, it's you and me. We're family, remember? Brothers. And you don't leave your family alone."_

 _Theo stepped back from the ledge, stumbling towards Draco. Draco met him in the middle of the room, pulling him into a tight hug as Theo's numbness broke and a wave of realization broke over him. Draco caught him as he fell to his knees so he didn't hurt himself accidently. Draco sat there with him while he broke down. He was there when he came back to his senses._

 _"I'm sorry, Draco. I promise, if I have the choice, I will never leave." Theo swore._

He felt a hand on his shoulder, his name was being called. Theo lifted his blue eyes to meet grey. Draco's concerned look faded when he saw Theo was responsive.

"You're with family, mate." Draco whispered. Theo nodded once, then accepted the teacup Draco handed to him.

Theo looked to Draco, then across the desk to where Hermione sat, smiling at the men. Yes. He was with his family.


	10. Shame

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _November 10, 2000 London, England - Theo and Hermione's Office_

Hermione felt herself dragging at the end of her work day. She'd filed an endless amount of paperwork and had gone over the written request for a meeting to discuss their find with the higher ups about five thousand times. It had to be perfect. She found herself re-reading the same sentence for what felt like the fifth or sixth time, when suddenly the parchment was ripped out of her hands. She frowned, lifting her eyes and expecting to meet blue, but finding grey instead.

"Draco, I need that." Hermione said, frowning. Draco merely smiled and handed the parchment to Theo.

"No, you don't. You've read it over too many times to be useful, Hermione. Let someone else read it. That's your best bet to catch errors." Draco explained, leaning forward on her desk. "Besides, you look like you could use a break."

Hermione rubbed her tired eyes and realized she _had_ been staring blankly at a page for the past hour.

"Draco, if you don't ask her, I will. I can't handle this beating around the bush." Theo said, glaring at Draco.

"Ask me what?" Hermione frowned, looking between the two puzzledly. Draco sighed.

"Well, thanks to Theo, I suppose there's no way around it." Draco muttered. He straightened his back, pulling himself up to his full height, seemingly with some difficulty.

"Hermione, so I know you just got out of a long relationship and I don't want to rush you, or anything. But I've been wanting to ask you this for a few weeks. I hope you don't think I'm too forward with this, but-"

"Draco." Hermione said with a smile. His eyes had dropped to his feet and his cheeks flushed bright pink. At the sound of his name, his head snapped up and he turned red.

"Just ask it," Hermione smiled, encouragingly. She had a feeling what was coming, and it made butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"Would you like to go out for dinner sometime?" Draco asked, his eyes connecting with hers again. She felt herself flush at the question, but smirked at Draco.

"That was the question? Of all the times we've had lunch and dinner together, Draco, that hardly seems like a difficult question." Hermione told him. His face deepened in color even more if possible.

"Yes, but none of those were considered a date." Draco said, lowly, his eyes darkening a bit. Hermione's stomach flipped over and she felt her smirk widen to an all-out grin.

"See, now I can understand why you were having such a time of asking." Hermione said, collecting her things in her bag and switching off her desk light before standing to leave the office.

"How's Saturday?" Draco looked as though he'd been struck in the head with a bludger. Theo chuckled at the pair, and snapped a rubber band in the direction of Draco to get him to respond.

"Oi!" Draco exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head and throwing brief glare at Theo before turning back to Hermione.

"I'll pick you up at eight?" Draco asked. Hermione giggled at Theo's antics and nodded.

"I'll see you then. Have a good weekend, Theo." Hermione said, waving to the two before heading out of the office, feeling giddy and light.

* * *

 _November 11, 2000 London, England - Hermione's Flat_

Hermione was putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup when she heard the knock on her door. She looked herself over one more time, smoothing a hand down her oversized jumper, straightening her scarf, and giving her jeans one last tug to ensure they fit properly. She wore her hair down, and hadn't done much other than wash and dry it. She found that, unless she wanted to spend hours in the bathroom, that was the best she could manage. She pulled on her ankle cut boots and tied the laces before grabbing her purse and heading to the door.

She hated to make Draco wait a few extra minutes, but she wanted to be ready to go. She pulled open the door and smiled at him, her eyes grazing over his outfit. He wore dark washed jeans and a white button up shirt, over which he wore a tan jumper and a brown leather jacket. In his hand, he carried a single daisy. He extended it to Hermione and she felt her heart flutter.

"Hello to you, too." Hermione said with a smile. She accepted the flower, pulling her wand from her arm holster, and casting a quick stasis charm on it. She placed the flower on her coffee table before returning to Draco.  
"Ready to go?" He asked. She nodded, pulling the door closed behind her and locking up. Draco offered her his arm and she smiled as she accepted it.

"Never knew you were such a gentleman."Hermione said, looking him over. Draco shrugged.

"Part of the mystery, I suppose." he chuckled. "So I have a couple of things planned, but first let's get something to eat. There's this Italian restaurant in Soho my parents used to take me to when we'd go to the theatre. Sound good?"

"Italian sounds lovely. I haven't had decent pasta in a while." Hermione agreed. Draco lead her down the street, finding a little alley that they ducked into before disapparating. They reappeared in an alley off of a bustling street, and quickly blended into the crowd, Hermione holding on to Draco as he guided them through the crowd.

They arrived at the restaurant and Hermione fell in love with the layout and feel of the place. The building sported half exposed brick, half plaster walls and the tables were small and private. They were met by a waiter who led them to a little table near the back of the restaurant. Draco pulled out Hermione's chair for her then seated himself before they ordered their drinks and looked to the menu.

Surprisingly, the waiter returned in just a few minutes with their drinks, and Hermione and Draco ordered their food, as they both already knew what they wanted. As the waiter retreated once more, Hermione noticed Draco watching her with a little smile on his face. She blushed.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, looking down.

"You. I honestly didn't think you'd say yes." Draco admitted. Her eyes lifted to his and she could read the sincerity in them from a mile away.

"You've been nothing but supportive and sweet towards me since September, Draco. Two months of heartache and friendship during rough times does a lot for a girl." She said.

"I just don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of your emotional vulnerability." Draco told her. She laughed a little at that.

"Draco, asking me out on a date can hardly be considered taking advantage of me." she scoffed. "If anything, I'd be worried about taking advantage of _you_. You've been through some rough times emotionally recently."

"Well, I suppose as long as we're both taking advantage of the other, all will work out for the best, yeah?" Draco grinned. Hermione shook her head with a chuckle.

"I'm not quite sure it works like that, but for the sake of argument, sure."

Their food arrived then, and the two devolved to small talk and commenting upon how amazing the food was.

* * *

It was nearly an hour and a half later by the time Draco and Hermione left the restaurant, full and feeling much more comfortable with one another. Draco led them as they walked towards a dark alley to disapparate.

"I've got a surprise for you." Draco said, a smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth.

"That so?" She asked, eyebrows arching. He nodded, pulling her into the alley and disapparating quickly.

They landed in a field next to a stone fireplace with a crackling fire and a thick blanket spread upon the ground next to it. Hermione turned to Draco, a wondrous frown on her face.

"How?" She asked.

"How else? Theo." Draco said with a shrug. Hermione giggled, taking a seat on the blanket and hugging her knees close to her chest.

"I should have known. He's quite supportive of this, isn't he?" She smiled.

"Very." Draco said, sitting down beside her and leaning back to look at the stars. Hermione looked back over her shoulder at him, before laying down on her back beside him.

"In school, I always loved Astronomy. I suppose in part it was because it was like we were breaking the rules, being out of bed so late. But as I got older, I realized I loved the stars because they never change. They follow a set pattern, they are predictable, we can look up at the sky and know what to expect on any given day." Draco said quietly. "At that point in my life, change was something to be feared. My whole world was turning upside down. Everything was changing. That's why I started going to the astronomy tower at night, and when Theo found me one night, we just sat there and looked up." he sighed.

"But now, I've realized change isn't such a bad thing. If humans didn't change, you wouldn't be here with me tonight, Hermione." Draco smiled, turning his head to look at Hermione. She turned her head towards him, as well, and took his hand in hers on the blanket. They lay there like that for a few moments before Draco turned over on his side, facing her and propping himself up with his elbow so that he was slightly above Hermione. Hermione looked up into his grey eyes, illuminated by the fire. She felt Draco's hand trail along the inside of her arm, and Hermione flinched instinctively. Draco pulled his hand back, a frown flitting across his face until he realized which arm he'd caressed.

"I- I'm sorry, Hermione." He stammered. She shook her head, looking up at him.

"No, don't be sorry. It's not your fault. Just a reaction to proximity. It took Ron nearly two years before he could touch me there without me jumping." Hermione explained. Draco's hand hovered over her arm.

"Can I - see?" He asked, eyes on her arm and not her eyes. Hermione pulled up the sleeve of her jumper, exposing the silvery word etched into her arm. Draco's fingers ghosted over the letters, making Hermione shiver.

"Are you ever ashamed of it?" Draco said, his eyes meeting hers. Hermione thought on that for a moment.

"No. I'm not ashamed of the word, nor the scar. I do regret the reactions it brings when people see it though. I can always tell. Usually they're extra nice, or more rude than necessary, depending on their views. The pity is probably the worst." Hermione said. Draco looked into her eyes, touching the skin of her forearm gently and Hermione forced herself to relax, to fight the response she knew was coming. She nibbled on her bottom lip, though, when it didn't come. Draco fingers traced the scar gently, slow and methodical, but she wasn't jumping away. She let herself fully relax, the tension in her body flooding from her. Draco must have felt the change, as he smiled.

"I understand the pity. I just want you to know, I don't believe this word defines you. I may have, once. But when I failed to finish my task sixth year, I discovered a lot about myself. That I didn't want to kill. That I didn't want power. I just wanted to live." Draco pulled off his leather jacket, then pulled up his left sleeve, revealing the faded, silvery-pink dark mark. Hermione leaned forward, her right hand reaching forward to touch it. He didn't falter, his eyes watching her carefully.

"I'm not ashamed of the Mark itself." Draco said, as Hermione explored Draco's forearm. "I was forced to take it. It's existence is proof that I did what I had to to survive. I'm mostly ashamed of people looking down on me who don't know my story, or those who _do_ know it treating me differently because of it. Like you said, the pity is the hardest." Hermione nodded. She traced the muscles in his forearm gently, her hand moving up his arm to shoulder and eventually resting her hand on his cheek. She bit her bottom lip again, scanning his face.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said. "For everything that happened when we were younger."

"I'm sorry, too." Draco replied softly. "I want to make up for all the shit we've been through. I just don't know how."

"We'll get there together." Hermione said, her hand on his cheek stroking his face gently. Draco leaned forward, closing the space between them. Hermione's eyes widened slightly when Draco kissed her, but they fluttered closed as she relaxed into the kiss. It was soft and gentle, like the daisy he'd given her earlier. When he drew back, the light in his eyes screamed of innocence and sincerity. Draco took Hermione's hand in his own and kissed it gently, before sitting up on the blanket.

"Should probably get you home, then. Do you want to take the scenic route?" Draco said, standing and holding out a hand to help her up. Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him. "I love taking strolls at night time." Draco shrugged.

"Scenic route it is, then." Hermione said, rubbing her arms a bit as she stepped away from the fire. It was rather chilly without the heat from it. Draco frowned and plucked his leather jacket from the blanket where it still rested and held it out to Hermione.

"I'm not going to take your coat! You'll get cold." Hermione protested.

"You're already cold. And besides, I'm wearing more layers than you. I'll be fine." Draco insisted, helping her into it once she conceded. Draco picked up the blanket and folded it, the shrunk it down with a quick charm and stuck it in his jeans pocket. He extinguished the fire, as well and he and Hermione were plunged into darkness. Hermione felt Draco's hand in hers and held on tightly as he side-along disapparated them to a little alley close to her flat. They walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand, with just the light of the streetlights to guide them. Hermione relished in the scent of Draco which permeated the warm jacket she wore.

All too soon, they reached her front door and she turned to say goodbye. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek before removing his jacket and handing it back to him. He took it, shrugging it on.

"I had fun tonight." Draco told her.

"Me too. I want to do this again. Well, maybe not _exactly_ this, but-" Hermione said, blushing.

"I know what you mean." Draco chuckled. "See you Monday." He said, waving to her before turning and walking back the way they had come.

"See you." Hermione murmured, letting herself into her flat and heading to bed, a wide grin plastered on her face at the memory of the date.


	11. Still, I Dream

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _November 16, 2000 London, England - Theo's Flat_

" _Now, son, it's time you learn a lesson about weakness." Theo's father told him, whipping out his wand."When people are weak, they affect those around them, dragging them along in the mud with them like a dead weight. Your mother is a perfect example of this. No matter how I've tried to train her to be the best pureblood she can be, she just_ doesn't get it."

" _But Father, Mother isn't weak! I've seen her take all the punishment you give her with a smile, then she gets right back up." Theo frowned. His mother was the strongest person he knew._

" _Her weakness isn't in taking a blow, child, it's in obeying orders to avoid punishment in the first place." his father spat, turning to the woman in the floor before him. "_ Crucio."

 _Theo winced. He hated hearing his mother scream. This wasn't the first time, his father had recently taken to torturing his wife almost nightly for what he perceived as shortfallings. Theo was expected to watch, as to study how the Cruciatus Curse worked. Already, he'd been its subject twice before, and knew what his mother was feeling._

" _Straighten your face, boy. Now, much like a lame horse, your mother is useless to me, and by extension, you. So what do we do with a lame animal, Theodore?"His father asked him, twirling his wand with a mad look in his eyes. Theo knew the answer to this question and his blood ran cold. His father had murdered a house elf just a few weeks before because it was unable to have dinner ready on time._

" _Answer me, boy!" his father snapped, slapping Theo across the face._

" _P-put it down, Father." Theo stammered, his eyes on the floor._

" _Very good." he said, striding over to the woman in the floor. "Any last words, swine?" Theo's mother looked over at her son. Theo looked up at her cracking, sobbing voice calling his name._

" _Theo, please. Remember who you are. I love y-"_

"Avada Kedavra!" _Theo's vision flash green, and the light left his mother's eyes._

Theo jolted awake, the sight of his dead mother still imprinted on the inside of his eyelids. He checked the bedside clock and cursed under his breath at the realization it was half past five in the morning. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep easily, anyhow, so he pushed himself up out of bed and headed for the shower.

He normally used a dreamless sleep potion when the nightmares came on strong like this, but he'd run out the night before. The time of year played a role, too, of course. With his mother's death day anniversary around the corner, Theo's mental state was all over the place recently. Added to that, their presentation for the tempus device was scheduled for that morning. Theo knew Hermione would likely arrive early to work, as well, because of the project.

He showered, dressed, and even forced himself to eat a hot breakfast before grabbing his bag and heading to the Ministry. By the time he arrived in his office, it was nearly seven. Theo headed for the coffee pot in the corner, making a whole pot, as he knew Hermione and Draco would likely both want a cup, and he knew he'd need the caffeine throughout the day. As Theo leaned against the desk, he heard the tell-tale sound of the lift down the hall announcing Hermione's arrival. No one else ever showed up before eight. Theo was surprised, though when he heard two voices talking softly, then Draco walked into the office behind Hermione. He nodded to them in greeting.  
"Alright there, Theo? You, erm-" Hermione started, looking for the right wording.

"You look like shite, mate." Draco said, cutting to the point. Theo smiled at Draco's bluntness even while Hermione smacked him. "What, he does!"

"I'm alright, just had some trouble sleeping." Theo said, pouring himself a cup of the coffee that had finally finished brewing. Draco's face turned from laughing to concerned in a second.

"Nightmares again?" he asked. Theo nodded.

"You'd think I'd have outgrown them by now. But no, every year. More regular than clockwork." Theo sighed into his coffee.

"I have some dreamless sleep potion I just finished, Theo. Do you want me to bring some over tonight?" Hermione asked, moving over to fix herself some coffee.

"If it won't put you out, that would be amazing." Theo told her. "I just ran out night before last."

"Let me know if you need to talk. If I remember correctly, your nightmares get pretty, er, _intense_." Draco offered. Theo merely smiled and nodded. He knew Draco would understand his nightmares, his father had been nearly as abusive as Theo's. Hermione, on the other hand- well, he wasn't sure she'd take it well. Neither of them knew the circumstances of his mother's death, and he hadn't been able to tell them much about his nightmares because of it. Theo sighed again, then pushed away from the desk.

"Let's go over our presentation one more time." He said. Hermione gave him a sad, knowing smile and agreed.

"The sooner this presentation is over, the happier we'll all be." Draco said. And Theo couldn't agree more.

* * *

 _November 17, 2000 London, England - Theo and Hermione's Office_

"They accepted our research and approved the project!" Hermione squealed excitedly, bursting into the office. " _And_ , they took our advice and made Draco an Unspeakable. This will be his first _real_ project!"

"More exciting than ours. 'Study how and why these time-turners keep destroying themselves.' Ground-breaking, I tell you." Theo muttered. He'd been in a grumpy mood all day from lack of sleep. He hated the way he felt after using dreamless sleep potion, so he only used the bare minimum when he had to use it, which typically resulted in him waking up in the middle of the night, or getting nightmares closer to dawn rather than all night. It was an improvement, but not by much.

"Theo, maybe you should see a Healer? They might be able to prescribe something to help. You've been getting really irritable lately and I-"

"I have not!" Theo snapped, instantly cursing himself when Hermione recoiled. He sighed. "Okay, maybe I have. I just don't think it will help. I'm not good at talking about my problems." Except with Draco.

"Theo, I just don't want you to go into a downward spiral. I know about having nightmares of traumatic events. Why do you think I keep dreamless sleep potion on hand? I know you better than most people; if you don't open up about this, it will fester like an infected wound."

"Damn you, Hermione. I hate it when you're right." Theo muttered. Hermione grinned a little.

"I'm always right." she claimed.

"You've been spending too much time with Draco." He rolled his eyes at her, making up his mind about something. "Can you and Draco come over to my place after work? I think I need to talk about whatever this is that's happening in my head, but it _definitely_ doesn't need to happen at work." Hermione nodded.  
"I mean, it's not like we have caused enough scenes in this office before, but I understand. I'll be there. And Draco doesn't know it yet, but so will he." She grinned at him.

"What doesn't Draco know?" Draco asked, walking into the office.

"I could make a list, but that could take a while." Theo said, smiling slightly and feeling a little better at Hermione's reassurance. Draco looked between the two puzzledly, but then shrugged when he saw Theo smiling.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I trust you two then. If you need me, I'll be in my office." Draco said with a smile.

"They gave you your own office?" Theo asked incredulously. Draco grinned at the other man widely.

"With full decorating rights, including modification spells." Draco said. "Ergo, I'll be taking out this wall between us. I simply _don't_ understand how the two of you can handle this tiny office!"

"Well, mate, as long as you have some decent taste in decoration, and don't touch my desk, I believe all is right with the world." Theo chuckled. Hermione turned to Draco, her eyes wide.

"Seriously, though. Don't mess with his desk. He gets scary when he can't find what he's looking for." Draco and Theo both devolved into laughter, which Hermione apparently found infectious, for she joined in, too. Perhaps sharing his darkest secret with these two wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

* * *

 _That Night, London, England - Theo's Flat_

Theo paced the floor in his living room, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Hermione and Draco. He jumped at the sound of the the doorbell, his heart racing a mile a minute. He must have looked like a mad man, but Draco and Hermione didn't seem disturbed by him, merely frowning at his jumpy behavior. He let them in and led them to the sitting room, where Draco and Hermione sat. Theo, however, resumed his pacing, which had Hermione looking very concerned.

"Theo, you aren't looking well at all. Talk to us, what can we do to help?" Hermione said carefully.

"I'm terrified, Hermione. I have something to tell the two of you, but I'm afraid it will drive one or both of you away or make you think differently of me from here on. I'm so scared I can't think straight." Theo said, his hands shaking. Draco stood up, removing a flask from his pocket and unscrewed the lid, offering it to Theo. Theo looked at Draco like he'd grown a second head, but shrugged and accepted it. Draco wouldn't poison him. Theo took a drink of the liquid in the flask and immediately knew it wasn't alcohol. He felt the tension and anxiety easing, leaving his body. Theo handed the flask back to Draco and sighed heavily, glad that the panic was past him.

"Come sit down and talk to us, mate." Draco said, meeting Theo's eye. Theo nodded and sat in his favorite comfy chair while Hermione watched the two with a clearly surprised reaction. Draco laughed at her expression.

"Calming Draught. Figured at least one of us would need it tonight. Should have taken bets on who it would be at this point it seems." Draco smirked.

"Once again, I'm simultaneously impressed by your intelligence and repulsed by your childishness." Hermione shook her head. "Okay, Theo, what do you need to tell us?" Theo took a deep breath.

"When I was eight, my mother passed away." Theo started. "What most people don't know is _how_ she passed. The story my father told the public was she passed of early onset dragon pox." Theo spat.

"I take it that's not true?" Hermione said, gently.

"Hardly." Theo said, barking a humorless laugh. "It's no secret my father was a Death Eater. My mother was a good pureblood wife, she was quiet, didn't speak unless spoken to, and he still found reasons to call her a useless piece of shit. One day, she was caught fixing me up after my father had bloodied my nose and blacked my eye as a lesson. He snapped." Theo said, looking down. Hermione's face was riddled with horror and Draco's fists were balled up so tightly his knuckles were white.

"He tortured her for hours, forcing me to watch. He told me I was the reason it was happening. Then he said she was the same as a lame horse, a common animal, and he killed her. I wasn't allowed to cry. If I cried, I wouldn't be given dinner for a week." Theo said, his voice sounding hollow. He felt just like he did twelve years ago, scared, alone, and unable to let out the river of emotion he was drowning in.

Suddenly Hermione was on her knees in front of him, looking up into his face.

"Theo, sweetheart, you're allowed to cry now." She whispered sincerely. "We're here for you, love. We won't think any differently of you for mourning a parent. We've both done it."

With that, it seemed as though a mental barrier burst and Theo fell forward, Hermione catching him as he fell to his knees and wrapping his arms around Hermione's neck. Hermione held him close as he cried, cooing softly and rubbing his back. Draco moved over to sit in the floor beside them, his hand on Theo's back. Theo lost track of time as he sat with his friends in the floor of his flat and cried.

He cried for his mother. He cried for all the suffering that had been endured during the war. He cried for all the torture, pain, and heartache he'd gone through over the years to save someone else from doing the same. But most of all, he cried for himself. His tears seemed to wash over his entire body, refreshing him in a way he never experienced. It was like a cool drink after living in the desert for twenty years. He knew the only reason he'd opened up was because the two people sitting there with him cared about him deeply.

After so long, he was finally learning about love. Finally, Theo knew what it meant to have a family.


	12. Take My Hand

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _November 22, 2000 London, England - The Time Office_

Draco sat at his desk and debated banging his head against it. Even with the book on schematics they'd found, there had only been rudimentary designs for anything even remotely as sophisticated as a particle accelerator. That being the case, Draco had four or five diagrams laid out in front of him whilst trying to figure out which part were necessary in his design and trying to decipher the notes in the margins so that he could determine if a part was useful or not. Already there was a pile of scrapped parchment bulging from the garbage can and littering his desk.

Theo seemed to be having a bit more luck dissecting the original plans for the tempus device and figuring out how it did what it did. The prototype was placed carefully in front of him and he studied it and the papers strewn in front of him with equal vigor.

Hermione was hunched over her desk, running numbers and working equations that the men weren't able to figure out. Each of them had given her several complex formulas that they had found in their various schematics which they just simply didn't understand. Draco knew that, while Theo had done his internship in the archives, Hermione had served hers under an Unspeakable who was a theoretical physicist. She picked up theories and calculation from her mentor exceedingly fast, and even surprised her superiors when she had been able to apply her knowledge on her own instead of just repeating back what she had learned.

Draco let his head drop to his desk loudly, causing Hermione to jump a little.

"Don't die, Draco, we need you for things." Theo called, not looking up from his work. He was prodding the little silver basin at the bottom of the tempus device with the nub of his quill, eyes squinted in focus.

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, mate. Means a lot." Draco mumbled into his desk, raising a thumb into the air to emphasize his point.

"Merlin." Theo said, wondrously. "I think I figured it out." Hermione and Draco both lifted their heads to look at the man.

"Figured what out?" Hermione asked.

"I was trying to figure out what the power source for the device was. With the time-turner, the moving parts are what provide most of the power for the wormhole, while the hour reversal charm keeps the wormhole stable. For this device, it seems the memory itself provides the energy source. So once you place a memory in the basin, it begins energizing the wormhole, and it seems there are a few spells stabilizing the wormhole so that the data it gathers from the memory is gathered and displayed, then able to be used on demand. The only downside I see to this method is that the memory would be destroyed in the end."

"That's highly feasible, Theo. The physics behind it is solid enough. Do you think you're ready to attempt to build one?" Hermione asked. Theo shook his head.

"No, I have a few modifications to make before my version of the schematic is final, but it shouldn't be too long, two weeks tops, before I enlist your expertise for the practical implementation of these spells and equations." Theo told her. Hermione nodded, then turned to Draco.

"I have some of the equations you needed solved. I think they'll help you out, Draco." Hermione said, sending a small stack of papers to his desk with a flick of her wand. Draco looked over the few equations before his eyes lit up.

"Actually, yes, Hermione, these are _exactly_ what I needed." Draco said, hunching over his desk and getting back to work. "What would I do without you?"

"Crash and burnout. But that's okay, cause I'd do the same without you." Hermione shrugged. Theo chuckled and Draco rolled his eyes.

"Hermione?" Draco said, suddenly. His mind returned to the euphoria he'd felt after their first real date. "Dinner tonight?" he asked as casually as if he were asking about the weather, hardly looking up from his work. He peeked at her and her face showed that she was a little taken aback by the suddenness of the request, but that was soon replaced with a smile.

"Pick me up at six?" Hermione smirked.

"I'll be there." Draco dropped a wink in her direction and Theo chuckled at the two, shaking his head. Draco made a mental note to buy Theo something especially good for Christmas for everything he'd done for him.

* * *

 _That Night, Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor_

Draco had opted to cook dinner for Hermione as opposed to taking her out to eat. Over the last few years, he'd learned to cook for himself and his mother, as he'd had no other option. He found that cooking was much like potion making, and as long as he followed the recipe, things turned out at the very least, edible.

He'd gone with a simple chicken marsala dish with a side of mixed vegetables. He'd fried the chicken before he'd gone to fetch Hermione, so now he was preparing the sauce for the chicken while Hermione sat at the little table in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of wine and watching him cook. He turned to her while the sauce was simmering to find her watching him with a smile.

"What?" Draco asked, curiously.

"I'm trying really hard not to compare you to my exes, but so far both of our dates have been so much- _more_ than anything I've ever experienced." Hermione grinned. Draco snorted.

"Drinking wine and watching me cook? You like this?" He asked. Hermione nodded.

"I was the primary cook with Ron. He had no problems taking me out, but if I wanted a quiet night in, I'd have to cook or order takeaway. Not that I mind cooking, I just feel like it should be something that is shared." Hermione explained.

"I agree. Everything in a relationship should be shared." Draco said, returning to his skillet and adding the chicken in for the last step. "Cooking can be fun, but it can also be extremely stressful, especially after working all day. I understand." Draco pulled out two plates and piled the chicken marsala and mixed veggies on Hermione's plate and set it before her before making his own.

They sat down to eat,following their tradition of making small talk during the meal and saving the bigger conversations for after they were complemented Draco cooking, stroking his ego a bit. But as the dinner waned, the couple started talk about deeper subject matter.

"Have you talked to Theo lately? About how he's doing? I know he says he's doing a bit better, but with the anniversary coming up, I worry." Hermione asked. Draco shook his head.

"He hasn't been sticking around long enough for me to talk to him. Whenever I try to ask anything deeper than 'how are you' he kind of shuts down. I thought we'd gotten through to him. But I suppose I'd thought I gotten through to him then, too." Hermione frowned.

"What do you mean, then? In school?" she asked. Draco sighed.

"I hadn't wanted to tell you this, as it's not really my secret to divulge, but I need to get this off of my chest. I need someone else to share the burden with." Draco took a deep breath and let it out heavily. Hermione merely sat patiently, attentive, with one hand reaching out to hold Draco's as a sign of support.

"So in sixth year, I was working on the vanishing cabinet, as I'm sure you're aware. Theo and I weren't as close as we are now, but at the time of this event, we had already begun meeting in the astronomy tower when we couldn't handle things. One night, the night that I know now was the night of Theo's mother's death day anniversary, I was working on the cabinet nearly all night. I lost track of time, should have been back to check on him, but I wasn't." Draco felt the familiar pang of regret at not checking on his friend that night.

"Anyway, I had gone to find a book from my collection in the Room of Hidden Things, and when I returned there was a note stuck to the cabinet. It read, 'Go to the tower immediately. Your secret is safe with me. Signed, a friend.'" Draco shook his head. "To this day, I have no idea who wrote that note. But whoever did must have known the state Theo was in." Draco shivered at the thought of his best friend standing at the ledge of the astronomy tower.

"He was suicidal. He'd been in the tower all night, just standing at the edge and debating falling. I got there as the sun was rising, and Hermione, I've never seen a more broken man than Theo was that night." Hermione nibbled at her bottom lip, a frown tugging at her features.

"We can't let him be alone this year." Hermione said finally. "Before this, he hasn't had anyone to be with him. But he's been there for the both of us through the hardest times lately. We _have_ to be there for him." Draco nodded.

"I don't care if we have to break into his house and refuse to leave until morning, we'll be with him." Draco confirmed.

"Glad we're on the same page." Hermione smirked. "As for the note, I have no idea. Did anyone else know about you and Theo hiding up in the tower?"

"Hermione, you're the only one we've ever told about half the shit we did in school, and this is years later. It's impossible for you to have been there." Draco said with a frown. Hermione looked at him bemusedly.

"Draco, what is our current project at work?" Hermione asked.

"The tempus device. Wait. You don't think that-" Draco gasped. "Is it possible that _you_ warned me about Theo? Through the device?" Draco asked.

"I think it's something I would do. And it certainly seems plausible at this point. But let's not tell Theo if we can help it until the time comes. I have a feeling the knowledge won't do much but stir emotion." Hermione confided. Draco agreed with that assessment.

He looked Hermione over, noticing how the light hit her eyes and the stray curls here and there that refused to stay in their place. He noticed the slight blush of her cheeks, and as he watched her, she drew her bottom lip up between her teeth. He smiled absently.

"You're beautiful." Draco murmured. He smiled wider when the light blush darken. He loved knowing he had been the cause of that. "You know, I've thought you were beautiful ever since the Yule Ball. Everyone in the room could see it then. But now," Draco traced a finger lightly along the back of Hermione's hand. "You look just as beautiful now as you did then. More so, if you ask me." Draco confessed.

"How? I'm not even wearing makeup." Hermione said.

"That must be it. This is you when no one is looking. This is the real Hermione Granger. And there's something about you that drives me crazy."

"In a good way or a bad way?" Hermione asked, looking up into his eyes with a small frown.

"Depends on how you define 'good'" Draco muttered, his voice dropping to a rough gravelly timbre. Hermione blushed furiously at the response, smiling as she dropped her eyes to the table.

"I swear, you and Theo are just alike sometimes." She huffed playfully.

"Yes, but when it's me saying these things, you don't brush them off as the ramblings of a pervert." Draco teased.

"Oh, no, I still do that with you, too. I just also recognize it as a genuine attempt at winning me over, and not just because I'm a girl." Hermione giggled.

"I can't tell if that's a win for you or for me." Draco chuckled.

"Both?" Hermione suggested.

"Both." Draco nodded. "Let's go with both." He trailed his fingers over her hand still, reveling in the proximity to her.

"Why do you do this?" Hermione asked. "Not that I don't enjoy it, it feels quite nice. I'm just trying to dissect that brain of yours to see how it works."

"It's comforting. It lets me know you're right here, and that you're really. I spent a long time alone. Sometimes it's just nice to feel someone else's body heat so that you know you're not alone." Draco looked down at their hands. Hermione turned her hand briefly, squeezing his before returning it to its original position.

"I know what you mean." She said. Her brown eyes met Draco's grey and for a moment, he saw a scared little girl instead of the confident woman he had come to know. Draco felt honored that she would let down her walls that much in front of him, the walls that he knew she'd spent years carefully constructing so that not even her best friends could see through them.

Walls that Draco was all too familiar with, because he'd built them too. He promised himself then that he would do everything he could to make sure that scared little girl behind those walls didn't have to be scared anymore.


	13. Truth That Once Was Spoken

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _November 28, 2000 London, England - Theo's Flat_

"What do you mean you're not leaving?" Theo demanded, looking quite red in the face. Hermione and Draco merely shared a look, not budging from their seats.

"It's really a very simple concept, Theo. Hermione and I won't be returning to our respective homes tonight, in favor of spending the night with you." Draco said, then looked to Hermione. "Was that scientific enough? Perhaps you ought to explain." Hermione smirked at that.

"Yes, Hermione, perhaps you ought to, as this dunderhead isn't giving me a direct answer." Theo retorted.

"Theo, we know what today is; you've been avoiding us when we ask you how you're doing, you've obviously still been sleeping horrendously, if the bags under your eyes and your trouble focusing at work are any indication. We're _worried_ about you, Theo. You've spent the past twelve years grieving alone on this day, and we just want you to know that you don't have to any more." Hermione said.

Theo looked at her warily.

"So you're not going to leave me because you care?" he asked slowly.

"Remember that morning in sixth year, Theo? What you told me works both ways. If I can help it, I'll never leave you. Especially when you need a brother." Draco told him.

"I'm still getting used to the whole 'I-have-a-family' thing." Theo admitted, slumping his shoulders slightly and dropping into the armchair next to him. "Draco, you've been like a brother since school, but then you disappeared for nearly two years. I know why, I don't blame you because you couldn't help it, it's just hard opening back up, I guess. And Hermione, I've been playing big brother to you for nearly a year. You'd think I'd get it through my thick skull that I can trust you like you trust me." Theo laughed half heartedly.

"There's a learning curve, always is. But we don't want you to be alone tonight, even it's just a normal night. It would put my mind at ease knowing that if you need someone, we're just in the next room." Hermione told him. Something must have clicked in Theo's head, because his expression changed a bit, and he looked to Draco.

"You told her." Theo said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"It's scary how you just _know_ things sometimes, mate." Draco shook his head. "Yes, I was worried about you, and I had to explain why. I hope you're not too mad." Theo's face looked like a mask, an expression that Hermione was used to him exhibiting when he was deep in thought. Suddenly, he stood, moving over to the door, where his work bag hung on a coat rack, returning to his seat with it. He looked up to the pair of anxious faces with a smile.

"Well, if you're spending the night, we might as well make it a productive one. I always find the best answers to philosophical questions are proposed at two in the morning and are usually helped along with a bit of alcohol." He told them. Draco and Hermione's faces lit up and they visibly relaxed. Hermione stood, moving to the familiar kitchen and bringing back a bottle of wine and three glasses.

"I know you two typically prefer harder stuff, but we _do_ still have work tomorrow." She said. Theo grinned.

"As long as Draco doesn't turn into a wine snob and criticize my taste in wine, I'm perfectly happy with it." Theo chuckled. Draco looked insulted, and Hermione couldn't tell if it was real or an act.

"Me? A wine snob?" He asked, looking at the bottle and making a face, but quickly catching himself. "Okay, I can _perhaps_ see what you mean. I'll try to not be a prat." Draco said seriously. Hermione burst out laughing at that, shaking her head at the two. It was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

Theo and Hermione stayed up late into the night, discussing different theories about any number of philosophical topics ranging from the true nature of time to the existence of an afterlife. Draco was equally involved in the conversation until he could no longer hold his eyes open and padded off to the guest room around midnight. He had protested to taking the bed, but Hermione told him she wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon and that when she did, the couch would be fine.

Theo and Hermione finished another bottle of wine by themselves before Theo's usually well-thought-out sentences became slightly slurred and incomprehensible due to exhaustion. Hermione made him go to bed, helped along with the last of her dreamless sleep potion, around one thirty. She returned to the living room sleepily after changing into a pair of her shorts she'd left during her stay with Theo and a borrowed t-shirt, grabbing the blanket Draco had laid out for her before he'd gone to sleep. As soon as she layed down on the couch, she was wide awake.

She felt strange. She knew she wasn't alone, Theo and Draco were just down the hall, she had spent all day with them. And yet, in that moment, alone on the couch, a wave of loneliness hit her like a wave crashing on the sand. She felt herself slipping into a panic and pushed herself up from the couch.

She paced back and forth in the little living room, a coping mechanism for pent up anxiety she'd learned. She tried to focus on her breathing, even counting backwards from one hundred, but nothing seemed to be working. She quickly exhausted her list of coping skills and knew the next step was reaching out to someone. Theo was out of the question, as he'd just gone to sleep with the aid of a potion and wouldn't wake up til it wore off in several hours. So that left Draco. Hermione debated waking him for nearly half an hour until she realized if she didn't, she likely wouldn't sleep at all.

She crept into the guest room, opening the door softly. She closed the door behind her and stood blinking in the darkness for a moment to let her vision adjust. Once she could see, she padded over to Draco, gently touching his shoulder and calling his name quietly. He jolted awake, a scared look in his eyes.

"What- huh?" He asked, looking around. Hermione had retreated slightly at his violent reaction but she laid a slightly trembling hand on his arm to calm him. Draco seemed to become instantly more alert at her touch.

"Hermione." He muttered, his eyes meeting her face. He sat up, a hand gently caressing her arm. "What's wrong, love? Is it Theo?" She shook her head quickly.

"N-no. Theo is in bed, gave him some dreamless sleep and sent him off nearly an hour ago. I'm just-" Hermione laughed slightly at herself. "I'm really anxious for no apparent reason and I couldn't handle it on my own." Draco's grip on her arm tightened a little, providing more security somehow.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Draco murmured. "What can I do?"

"Could we, erm- cuddle, maybe?" Hermione asked, her cheeks heating. Draco chuckled softly before moving over in the bed and pulling her by the hand into bed with had only worn his boxers to bed, and that fact hit Hermione rather suddenly. She situated herself in the bed, feeling rather self-conscious at being in bed with a half-naked Draco. She was in no way a prude, but in her current mental state, even the slightest awkward moments were subject to over analysis. She felt Draco slip an arm behind her head. He was on his side, using his other hand to trace patterns along Hermione's arm.

"Relax, love. It's just me. I've got you." Draco murmured in her ear.

Hermione let herself think back to their kiss in the field, the euphoria she'd felt that night, and the tension in her limbs drained away. She turned towards Draco, burying her face into his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her and Hermione focused on his breathing instead of hers. She focused on the feeling of Draco's fingers running across the skin of her arms, rubbing her back in soothing circles. She listened to his heart beat, timing her breathing with it. She inhaled his scent and melted into his arms as though she was meant to be there all along.

"There you go, love. How are you feeling?" He asked her gently. Hermione took a deep breath, assessing her mental state carefully.

"Much better. I'm actually getting sleepy again." She murmured into his chest.

"Go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up." Draco told her, giving her a gentle squeeze to emphasize his point.

"You're right, Draco." Hermione mumbled, looking up into his eyes, her eyelids feeling heavy.

"I usually am, but what about, specifically?" Draco asked with a chuckle

"Being next to you, knowing that I'm not alone. There's nothing like it. You make me feel safe." She told him. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, smiling down at her.

"I'm glad I can make you feel safe, love." Draco whispered, his hand brushing some of her hair out off of her face. "Sleep well, sweetheart."

She drifted off to sleep, finally feeling calm and relaxed.

* * *

 _November 29, 2000 London, England - Theo's Flat_

"If you two don't wake up, we're going to be late for work." Theo's voice carried through the guest room and jolted Hermione awake. It apparently had the same effect for Draco, who tightened his grip on Hermione protectively.

"Finally. There's coffee made, but I'm not sure you'll have time for a shower." Hermione turned over to see Theo leaning against the doorframe, dressed already, his robes still left open showing off his slacks, button up, and tie. His hair was still a little damp and he held a cup of coffee. Hermione blushed at her best friend, realizing Draco's hand was still wrapped around her waist.

"Theo, I-" Hermione started, but Theo was apparently two steps ahead of her.

"You don't need to explain yourselves to me, Hermione. I'm just glad you both look more well-rested than I've ever seen you, and neither of you were talking or struggling in your sleep." Theo told her. She looked the man's face over, studying him carefully before she smiled.

"You look rested, too." She commented. He nodded, grinning.

"What can I say, I had a great night with friends. You tired me out, slipped me a potion, and took me to bed. It was a great night." Theo waggled his eyebrows at Hermione. She giggled and felt Draco sit up in the bed behind her, pulling her close to him.

"If I hadn't spent half the night with her in my arms, I'd be suspicious of you two. But as I did, I have to concur with Hermione for once, Theo. You're a pervert." Draco said groggily.

"I maybe a pervert, but it got you out of bed, now, didn't it? Seriously, get a move on, you two! You're slower than Christmas this morning." Theo chuckled, shaking his head and padding down the hall towards the kitchen.

Hermione looked back over her shoulder, leaning into Draco's bare chest.

"Thank you. You really helped a lot last night." she murmured.

"I'd be lying if I said you didn't help me sleep better, too, 'Mione. And I love having you in my arms." Draco murmured close to her ear, his arm wrapped around her waist and hugging her close to him to emphasis his point. She blushed, looking away from him. He caught her chin with one hand, lifting it until her eyes met his.

"Have I told you lately you're beautiful?" Draco muttered. Hermione bit her bottom lip, her blush deepening.

"You may have mentioned it." she replied. He cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin gently. He leaned in and kissed her softly, and Hermione tilted her head, deepening the kiss. This kiss felt different than their first. It held more heat, more passion. Hermione frowned when he pulled away, not wanting the feeling to end.

"If we don't get going, Theo's likely to have an aneurysm." Draco chuckled. Hermione smiled and nodded, stretching as she stood and headed for the bathroom. She felt amazing as she got dressed and attempted to tame her unruly hair. For the first time in months, she felt like she could take on anything. She smiled at herself in the mirror. Things were looking up.


	14. To Love Another Person

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic. Don't sue me._

 _Also: **Spoilers**_ _for Les Mis will be present in this chapter. If you haven't seen it you'll still be able to understand the story, you'll just have some spoilers._

 _Also Also: I earn my 'M' rating in this chapter with a little itty bit of almost-smut. More will likely ensue in later chapters._

* * *

 _December 9, 2000 London, England - Diagon Alley_

Draco and Hermione were browsing the shelves of a secondhand bookstore, obviously not for lack of money, but rather because they shared a love for old books. Draco watched Hermione get lost in the leather covers, a smile playing at his lips. They'd decided to get some of their Christmas shopping done, and had come to the shop looking for something for Theo. Draco knew Hermione could browse the shelves for hours, though, and as such he fully anticipated her leaving the store with at least a couple books for herself.

Hermione had called Draco over to look at a potential gift and so Draco found himself with a hand round her waist, his chin leaning on her shoulder as she flipped through the large tome. He scanned the pages carefully, getting absorbed in the material a bit too much, as he didn't hear the bell above the door signaling someone entering the little shop. Outside of Hogwarts students, the little bookshop didn't have a lot of business normally, most people preferring to get their books new. Draco and Hermione had been the only people in the shop other than the cashier, who recognized Hermione from her many visits and had gone to work in the back, telling them to ring the bell on the desk should they need him.

Hermione, however, raised her head at the voices that came from the door.

"Why are we here again?"

"I told you, I have to find something good for Hermione for Christmas. You know this is her favorite store. You know, you didn't have to tag along, Ron." Two men turned the corner into the aisle that Draco and Hermione occupied and they stopped dead. Draco moved away from Hermione, turning towards the men, but kept a hand on her waist as Hermione looked over the two. Draco nodded at the men, making eye contact with Harry. He was determined to keep the meeting civil, as Harry was still Hermione's friend. Draco let his gaze rake over Ron, who only had eyes for Hermione. Draco felt a pang of guilt at the look on his face. He realized Ron had loved Hermione, and was probably still in love with her. Ron glanced at Draco, not with malice but with envy as he saw the hand Draco still had around her waist, then returned his attention to Hermione.

"Hermione." Ron said her name like a sigh. "You look good. Happier." Hermione smiled sadly at Ron.

"Thanks, Ron. I'm sleeping better. We've more help in the office now, so it's a bit less taxing." She explained. "How's the shop?"

"It's going well. Lots of overtime recently, preparing for Christmas Hols you know. And George keeps trying to set me up with customers. I think I have a bit more class than that." Ron said easily.

"I'd hope so, considering your demographic." Hermione chuckled.

"Exactly! Nearly all the girls are mothers or still in Hogwarts. Told George off when he abandoned me to a gaggle of them in the love potion section." Ron shuddered. Hermione laughed at that, and Ron smiled slightly.

"I miss this, Ron. Being friends. You were one of my best friends all through school, I just don't think we worked well as a couple." Hermione told him.

"I think I understand what you mean." Ron said. "Harry and Ginny were talking to me about everything a few weeks ago, and I understand why we didn't work. I just want you to know I'm sorry for everything." Ron said sincerely. He turned to Draco.

"And I heard from Harry that you patched her up after the accident. Thank you for that. I know it may not mean much, but I- don't hate you." Ron said, seemingly with some difficulty. Draco nodded, genuinely impressed.

"Well now that we've cleared the air," Harry said, clearing his throat uncomfortably, " Hermione, will you be round for Christmas? We're doing ours at Grimmauld on Christmas eve and it just wouldn't feel right if you weren't there. Malfoy would be welcome, too, since you're together." Draco smirked at that. They weren't _technically_ an item, at least, they hadn't spoken about it, but the sentiment was still a nice one. Hermione grinned.

"Sure, Harry. We may be over later than normal, I think we were going to do our gift exchange with Theo that night, but we'll be there." Hermione said, looking to Draco for confirmation.

"Wouldn't miss it. She considers you lot family, so I figured I'd have to suffer through at least one gathering." Draco joked.

"Hope you like loud noises and potentially burnt stuffing. Ginny hasn't _quite_ gotten down the concept of cooking." Ron retorted.

"If there's a chance of the stuffing being burnt, I'd rather just cook it myself." Draco said, in mock horror. The two men stared at him in disbelief.

"He's actually a great cook." Hermione backed, "Made us chicken marsala better than a restaurant."

"So what you're saying is that you'll be bringing the stuffing?" Harry chuckled. Hermione giggled.

"Sure, Harry. I'll even whip up a treacle tart, just for you." She beamed at him.

"You're the best, 'Mione. Now I need just one favor." Harry said. She arched her brows at him.  
"I need you to leave so I can find you a present." She laughed outright and hugged both men before taking the book still in her hand, which she'd decided was a perfect book for Theo, to the register. Draco shook hands with both Ron and Harry before making sure Hermione was out of earshot.

"Back wall, third shelf from the right. Aristotle or Isaac Newton." He whispered. Harry nodded once, fully understanding. Harry clapped Draco on the back as he took his leave, returning to Hermione's side. She gave him a look but didn't press the matter.

"What do you say we head to the Leaky and grab a bite?" Draco asked, taking the bag from the cashier and offering Hermione his arm as they left the store. Draco smiled when he saw Harry heading towards the back of the store through the window.

"Sure, I'm nearly done shopping for the day, anyway." Hermione said.

The couple strolled toward the pub happily, chatting away about the presents they'd yet to buy and their plans for the holidays.

* * *

 _December 10, 2000 London, England -Hermione's Flat_

"I still can't believe you don't use a real tree." Draco told Hermione as he hung another silver ornament on the tree. They'd decided to decorate her Christmas tree that day, since she hadn't done so yet and was feeling particularly festive. They'd done up her store-bought tree with black and silver ornaments and black ribbons which elegantly twisted lengthwise down the tree.

"My parents and I used to chop our own tree, we'd make a day of it. But they're a lot of work, and I really don't have the time to sweep the floor every day when the needles fall off." Hermione explained. Draco nodded. Real trees did get quite messy. He remembered the house elves of Hogwarts sweeping under the massive tree nearly every evening. Hermione hung her last ornament and stood back to admire their handy work.

"One last part. Would you do the honors of placing the star, Mr. Malfoy?" She grinned, picking up the silver star and handing it to Draco.

"Why, certainly, Ms. Granger. It would be my pleasure." Draco crooned. Hermione giggled and watched Draco easily lifted the star and placed it atop the tree. Hermione moved toward him, slipping her hand into his. He turned toward her, his other hand cupping her face gently as he gazed down into her eyes. He watched the light dance in her eyes, brushing a stray hair from her face.

"What exactly is this we're doing?" Hermione frowned up at him slightly.

"Falling in love." Draco responded smoothly.

"You make it sound so simple." She said, examining his face.

"When I was young, my parents took me to the theatre quite a bit, as much a display of wealth as a means of entertainment. One of my favorite shows was Les Miserables. It had everything a young boy could want: action, romance, adventure. But one line, in the last song of the show, stuck with me to this day. 'Remember the truth that once was spoken: to love another person is to see the face of God.' And I think I finally understand what that means." Draco told her.

"I always thought it was silly how fast Marius fell for Cosette." Hermione said, her eyes lighting in recognition. Draco shrugged.

"If she was half as beautiful, intelligent, and funny as you, I don't blame the man."

"Are you saying I'm the Cosette to your Marius, Draco? Because, you know, everyone else dies in that musical." Hermione said, an eyebrow raised.

"Not everyone. The Thenardiers lived." Draco protested. Hermione laughed at that.

"Yes, because that's _so_ much better." She rolled her eyes, turning and plopping down on the couch. Draco joined her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Seriously, though, Hermione." Draco said, looking her over. "What are we? Potter assumed we were together yesterday, but we haven't talked about it at all."

"I really like the idea of being with you. I was just always too worried about the repercussions with Harry and the Weasleys." Hermione admitted, not meeting his eye. Draco smirked.

"So what about now, after the run in with them yesterday?" He asked, trying to get her to look at him.

"I-" Hermione blushed. "All you have to do is ask." She said finally, her face red. She curled into herself, looking very self-conscious.

"Would you be my girlfriend, Hermione?" Draco whispered in her ear. She bit her bottom lip through a grin, her brown eyes shooting up to his grey.

"I thought you'd never ask." She agreed, kissing him. Draco was shocked at first; this was the first time she had initiated the kiss. But he soon responded, meeting her enthusiasm equally. When their lips finally parted, Draco grinned at her playfully.

"You know, as much as I loved that, it wasn't really an answer." He said.

"Yes, Draco. I'd love to be your girlfriend." Hermione rolled her eyes as him.

"Well, if you're going to be snarky about it," Draco said, mock upset and doing his best to hide a smile. He made to stand, but Hermione grabbed the front of his shirt and held him in place.

"Oh shut up and kiss me." She pulled him back into a heated kiss, his hand settling on her waist comfortably. Draco revelled in her scent, taste, and proximity. He groaned as she deepened the kiss, running her tongue along bottom lip, begging for entry. He obliged, turning his body more towards her before she suddenly pulled away, standing up.

"What are you-" Draco asked, looking up at her before she smiled shyly and straddled him, her hands resting on his chest. Draco's eyes went wide, his hands automatically moving to her waist as she kissed him again, her arms wrapping around his neck. This new angle drove Draco wild, causing his pulse to race. He ran his hands up and down Hermione's back, even slipping a hand under her blouse to draw patterns on the skin there.

The kiss changed a bit when she felt his hand on her skin. It still held heat, a passion that Draco adored, but she slowed down, as though savoring him. Draco took the lead, breaking from the kiss to catch his breath before trailing tiny, fluttering kisses all along her jawline and down her neck. Hermione arched her back and Draco smiled against her skin. He loved knowing he had such a positive reaction. He looked up at her, seeing the heat he'd felt in their kiss echoed in her eyes. He kissed her forehead, rubbing her back gently.

"I think that's as far as we should go for now, little girl." Draco said, his voice gravelly. Hermione pouted a bit, but Draco continued. "I want our first time to be really special. Not on your couch in the heat of a moment." He murmured against her collarbone. Hermione nodded, understanding.

"Draco, would you stay with me tonight?" She asked suddenly. "I slept so much better that night at Theo's. I think it would help." Draco smiled at her.

"Of course. But we'll just be sleeping." Draco said, giving her a look.

"Well, I love cuddling with you anyway. I'll take what I can get." She hopped up, giving him one last peck on the lips before wandering into the kitchen to find something to snack on. Draco watched her go, shaking his head and grinning to himself. She was something else.


	15. Valley of the Night

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _December 14, 2000 London, England - The Leaky Cauldron_

Theo sat in a corner at the Leaky, avoiding the eyes of most everyone in the pub. Instead he focused on his journal, outlining several schools of philosophy. Theo was well aware that he was a little too introspective sometimes. Getting his ideas about philosophy out on paper, explaining it in his own words after reading extensively about it, was sometimes the only way he could properly comprehend the subject matter, especially when it came to complex ideology.

As for why he was in public working on such a project, Theo found it kept him grounded. He had to be aware of how he presented himself, and therefore he couldn't allow himself to be sucked too far into his own head. It was a different environment than his flat, as well, which proved to help his brain process the information.

Theo was right in the middle of attempting to dissect the position of moderate realism and its place in the debate on the metaphysics of universals when he heard a voice that shook him from his head.

"Pardon me, you seem very busy, but I was wondering if I might join you? You seem like better company than most here tonight." Theo looked up at the dreamy voice. He hadn't even noticed anyone approaching, which might have been due to his concentration or her stealth, Theo wasn't sure. Theo blinked once, looking at the woman. He recognized her immediately as the girl they'd called Loony Lovegood in school. Draco had been quite cruel to Luna in school, as had any number of other students. Theo had been disinterested in the girl, nearly taking pity on her since her own house had started making fun of her.

"Um, yeah, go ahead, I don't mind at all." Theo said, stumbling over his words a bit. The woman before him looked different than he remembered. She removed her long black pea-coat to reveal a dark blue over-sized sweater over jeans, which were neatly tucked into stylish, but functional boots. She wore her hair down, and no visible jewelry, seemingly dressed for practicality.

"I remember you from school." Luna said pleasantly once she'd gotten settled. "Theodore Nott, correct?" Theo was surprised she remembered him; he certainly hadn't gone out of his way to talk to other houses while in school, and his association with Draco had likely discouraged too much interest in him. He nodded at the woman.

"And you're Luna Lovegood. You're one of Potter's friends, right?" Theo asked, marking his place in his notebook, as well as the book he was reading from, and closing them. His interest in the woman seated across from him was suddenly greater than his desire to work alone.

"Yes, Harry's a dear friend of mine." Luna said, "Actually, your name came up in a letter from him a while back. He mentioned you were working with Hermione at the Ministry these days."

"Yeah, us and Draco Malfoy work in the Department of Mysteries Time Room." Theo told her, preparing to refute requests for more information.

"Oh, that must be fascinating. Hermione must really enjoy that line of work. I haven't gotten to see her recently as I've been out of the country, you see. We've written each other, but it's been a month or so since I've heard from her. Is she well?" Luna asked. It took Theo a second to catch up with Luna's question.

"Yes, she's quite well, just busy with work, as always. I don't know how much you've heard about her and Ron-" Theo started, nervously. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news.

"Oh the breakup? Yes, Ginny wrote me about that. Seemed like quite the tiff, if I'm honest. I do hope they can still be friends." Luna said, a slight frown creasing her brow.

"According to Draco, both are willing to go back to being friends." Theo said with a little sigh. He didn't like catching people up on gossip, but this woman was quite easy to talk to.

"They're an item, then? Malfoy and Hermione?" Luna asked, innocently. Theo was shocked that she had deduced that from his words.

"Yes, they just made it official a week or so ago." Theo replied.

"I've missed quite a bit, it seems." Luna looked unperturbed by that knowledge.

"If you don't mind my asking, you said you were out of the country?" Theo asked, curiously.

"Ah, yes. I've been in America studying re'ems. I discovered a small herd in North Dakota and I tracked their migration for several months. I come home for the holidays each year, but I think I'm going to stay in the country for a while. I've been hearing about a herd of mooncalves in Norfolk that I'd really love to study." Luna explained.

"So you're a magizoologist?" Theo said, nodding. It explained much about the changes in the girl, from the practical way she dressed to her slightly odd social behavior.

"Mhm." Luna nodded. "It's really a lot of fun, once you get past being in the field for weeks at a time."

"Keeps you on your toes, I'm sure. I've heard re'ems can be bloody dangerous." Theo muttered. Luna only shrugged.

"Once you've learned an animal's patterns, they're easy to predict. Humans are much the same, in their own way." Luna said smoothly. Theo had to agree with her, though he thought about his next words carefully.

"Of course we are; after all, witches and wizards are magical creatures, too." Theo told her. Luna smiled at that.

"You're quite interesting, Theodore. I've never met someone who didn't treat me like I'm crazy at first." Luna confided.

"You think differently than most people." Theo shrugged. "I do, too. I suppose it could be chalked up to human instincts, you know. After all, everything we do is due to chemicals in the brain reacting a certain way, or neurons firing at the perfect time." Theo knew he was rambling, probably not making sense, but Luna didn't mind.

"Precisely." Luna chimed. Theo smiled at the woman across from him, feeling a sort of connection with her already. He thought back on all she'd said and something didn't quite sit right with him.

"Luna, you said you come home for the holidays, yeah? So why aren't you at home with your father?" Theo asked. He knew it was just the two of them, as they were a target in the war. Luna smiled sadly.

"It gets rather lonely when I'm on expeditions. Just me for months on end. Ordinarily, it doesn't bother me too much. I get the letters from my friends, of course, and that helps. But sometimes I just miss being around people. Dad has been really focused on the Quibbler recently and hasn't had a whole lot of time to spare. He's got a special holiday issue coming out, you see." Luna explained.

"I understand that. I like my alone time, but sometimes it's nice to be alone around people." Theo said with a nod.

"Humans are social creatures. Even if they're not paying a bit of attention to one another, they still prefer company to none." Luna smiled at him.

"If it's all the same, you're more than welcome to share a table with me anytime." Theo grinned at her.

"Thanks, Theodore, that means a lot." She told him.

"My friends call me Theo." he smirked at her. Her eyes lit up a bit in the most endearing way, like a puppy being given a new toy.

"It suits you, Theo." She smiled widely at the man before gathering her coat and making to leave. "See you around."

Theo watched the woman he'd once deemed strange beyond comprehension leave the pub, smiling absently. It had been quite some time since anyone had surprised him in the ways she had. He found himself looking forward to seeing her again.

* * *

 _December 22, 2000 London, England - Theo's Flat_

Theo sat up in bed, clicking the lamp beside him on; he'd been having a horrible time sleeping yet again. This time, he attributed it to stress. The tempus device was in the final stages of production and he found that he simply couldn't turn his brain off at night. He found himself constantly running numbers and adjusting this or that subconsciously.

That is, unless he was at the Leaky. He'd taken to the pub several times since first meeting Luna there, and she'd joined him three of those times. She'd brought a journal along with her on those occasions, having curled up on her side of the little booth, observing the room and jotting down little notes at random.

Theo had chuckled at her, teasing that he was seeing Luna in her natural habitat, but he settled in and adopted an easy air with her. He'd even asked her opinion about this or that philosophical matter when he was having a particularly hard time with phrasing an idea. She'd also become accustomed to him, it seemed, to him. She'd ask him odd, rather revealing questions at random and Theo never hesitated in answering them. Why would he? She knew he was a former death eater, previously his darkest secret, and there was nothing else really worth hiding.

He looked to the clock to find he'd been lying awake for forty-five minutes, and though he was dead tired, he automatically started to dress, headed for the Leaky. It was only half past nine. He'd order a few butterbeers to unwind, maybe take a good book to read. An hour and a half of relax would do his mind good. He told himself he wasn't just going because he might see her, though he knew that was a lie. Theo finished dressing and quickly headed out the door, disapparating as soon as he was able.

He entered the pub through what looked like a rundown old shop entrance, scanning the room when he entered, as was his habit. The corner of his mouth twitched upward when he saw a familiar blonde head tucked into the corner of the booth he always favored. He made for the bar first, ordering a butterbeer before heading to the table and taking his usual seat across from her.

"Evening, Theo. Sleep alluding you again?" Luna asked him in her airy way. Theo nodded.

"Yeah, Luna. Swear this job'll be the death of me. Can't get my work off my mind." Theo complained. Luna nodded gravely.

"Christmas is just a few days away. Do you have any plans?" She asked innocently. Theo thought about it. He'd expected to spend Christmas Eve, at least part of it, with Draco and Hermione. As for Christmas Day- he likely wouldn't even notice it was a holiday, apart from everything being closed.

"Just a little gift exchange on Christmas Eve." Theo told her. Luna nodded, then closed her journal carefully, placing it on the table. She moved stiffly, as though afraid to break something, Her eyes watched her hands and Theo saw the faintest blush creep across her pale skin.

"I hope you don't think this is too forward, but I was wondering if you'd join me at Harry's place for Christmas Eve? I've already asked Harry, and he was actually very accepting, saying you were one of Hermione's best friends and were more than welcome." Luna said, carefully picking her words. Theo thought about it for a moment. He could reschedule the gift exchange with Draco and Hermione for Christmas Day, and everything would work out just the same. He liked the idea of being surrounded by people who he knew would largely leave him to his devices, but whom he could also talk with if the mood struck.

"Sure, Luna. That sounds great." He told her. He watched her face light up, her blue-grey eyes meeting his excitedly. Theo chuckled at her reaction, watching all the stiffness she'd had melt away at his easy acceptance

"It'll be fun, having all my friends in the same place at the same time. It rarely ever happens." Luna told him. Theo felt his heart melt a little. While he knew he considered the woman a friend after only a few days of talking, it was nice to know she felt the same. Theo took a swig of his butterbeer, partially to help him relax a bit, and partial to hide the wide smile that threatened permanent residence on his face. He sat back, enjoying his drink and Luna's company, however brief it might be. He realized then that companionship was better than any potion he could choke down. A blush rose to his cheeks as he remembered a certain couple in his guest room who had seemingly discovered the same thing. Luna cocked her head at him when she noticed his blush, but when Theo merely shrugged, she let it go. Theo marvelled at the non-verbal exchange as he settled in for a bit, work the furthest thing from his mind.


	16. Climbing to the Light

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this._

* * *

 _December 24, 2000 London, England - 12 Grimmauld Place_

Draco found himself in the big kitchen of Grimmauld Place, sleeves rolled to his elbows, directing the preparation of their Christmas Eve dinner. He had asked Harry and Ron to peel potatoes and chop vegetables, which they obliged him with while chatting happily. Hermione was working with Ginny on the desserts, which included two treacle tarts and a Christmas pudding, which Ginny had begun preparing the day before. Draco had already prepared the stuffing and turkey, which had been in the oven since noon. It was nearly time to take it out and let it rest, he was just waiting for the girls to finish up the pudding.

Draco looked around, assessing what was left to be done, and realized he had a moment to catch his breath. He leaned against the counter, watching everyone around him and allowing his mind to wander. Things were so different than they had been even just a few months before.

Upon their arrival at Grimmauld Place that morning, Ginny had immediately caught Hermione in a hug that Draco was sure could have fractured a rib.

"I'm so sorry I was such a bitch on your birthday and didn't stand up for you and spread rumors with Ron and left you all alone. That was such a horrible thing of me to do and I don't know how you'll ever forgive me, but I hope you do, because _I miss you._ " She had gushed all at once. Hermione had looked to Draco, shocked, before hugging the younger woman back and chuckling a little.

"I miss you, too, Gin, but it'd be nice to be able to breathe." Hermione had told her. And just like that, the two were best friends once more.

Draco watched the two examining the pudding in the steamer and chuckled when they finally decided that it had, indeed, been steamed long enough and that it was time to take it out. He moved out of their way, as the pudding basin was to rest on the counter behind him to cool. He looked at the clock and found they were right on time, as it he needed to pull the turkey out and get the vegetables started.

He thought about Theo briefly as he pulled the turkey out, setting it aside to rest for a while. He had cancelled their plans for that morning a few days before and Draco couldn't help but worrying after his friend. He tried to refocus himself as he prepared the carrots, parsnips, and potatoes for roasting.

Ron and Harry, having finished their jobs, retreated to the drawing room on the first floor. Ginny joined them, leaving Hermione and Draco alone in the kitchen.

"They're not so bad, you know." Draco murmured to Hermione, before sliding the two sheet pans of veggies into the oven and setting the egg timer for forty-five minutes.

"I think they think the same of you." She smirked. "According to Ginny, Luna and Neville will be here shortly. They were told to arrive around four-thirty." Draco nodded.

"Well, we'll be ready to eat in under an hour, so that's good." Draco said, looking around at the food they'd prepped. Hermione frowned at him.

"You're worried. What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Theo." Draco sighed. There was no point in lying to Hermione, he knew that. She nodded, probably feeling the same wa about their friend.

"I hope he's okay. But he _did_ tell us to have fun, you know. Maybe he has plans?" Hermione ventured.

"With who?" Draco snorted.

"With you lot, of course." Theo's voice boomed from the doorway. Hermione turned toward the door, Draco jumping slightly as he looked up to see Theo and Luna in the doorway.

"I hope it's alright that we brought some cooked prawns and cocktail sauce. I asked Harry what was need, but he didn't know." Luna said, setting down a tray of large of prawns on the long table.

"No, that's perfect. We didn't have the time to make a starter." Draco said, once he got over the shock of the two together. Hermione looked between the two of them confusedly, seemingly trying to figure out the situation. Theo chuckled, removing a galleon and handing it to Luna. Draco raised an eyebrow at the exchange.

"Okay, I'm entirely too confused to be polite. What the hell is going on?" Draco finally said. Luna giggled and attempted to hand Theo's galleon back, but he held up a finger telling her to wait for a moment.

"Well, Luna and I met at the Leaky a few weeks ago, and we've hung out a couple times. She invited me to the dinner when she found out I didn't have any plans." Theo said.

"You cancelled our gift exchange to come to a party you knew we were attending and didn't tell us?" Hermione demanded. Theo nodded. "But why?"

"Let's call it a business endeavour." Theo shrugged. "An unsuccessful one at that." He smiled to Luna, who pocketed the galleon Theo had given her.

"What was the bet?" Draco asked him. Theo grinned widely.

"Which of you would be the most confused." Luna told him. "He was sure it would be you, Draco. But I knew Hermione's logical mind wouldn't be able to process the information." Hermione let that sink in a second, before walking over to the other woman and hugging her.

"I'm glad you're home, Luna. It's been far too long." she told her. Luna beamed brightly at her, returning her hug.

"Where's the others? I figured they'd be down here." Luna asked.

"Bailed when they finished working, as usual. They're upstairs, but Neville, Hannah, and George should be here soon." Hermione told them. Draco was a little upset Andromeda had decided against bringing Teddy to the dinner that night, but she'd promised to drop by the manor with him the next day before heading to the Weasley's dinner.

"I'm sure there will be more questions later, but for now, do you all need help with anything?" Theo asked. Draco checked the egg timer, then nodded.

"If you could set the table, that would help out a lot. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes." Hermione led Theo to where the plates were kept and they began setting up. At some point, they were joined by the others, and Neville, Hannah, and George arrived, greeting the group joyfully just as Draco finished the last of the cooking and was placing the food on the table.

"I never really pegged you for a chef, Malfoy." Neville said, sitting down at the table. Draco just shrugged.

"You'd be surprised what can be accomplished when you threaten to burn a man's stuffing." He grinned.

"I'll drink to that." George called, raising his glass to Draco. Harry had carved the turkey while Draco was finishing up, and so, at last, everything was finished and they all sat down to eat. Draco looked up and down the table at the faces of his former classmates, a thought striking him that was so bizarre that it made him laugh out loud. He got several odd looks before Theo finally said what most of them were thinking.

"So, are you going to tell us what's so hilarious, Draco, or are you gonna leave us confused and convinced you're actually insane?"

"Firstly, most of the people in this room have thought I was insane from a young age. Secondly, it's just a thought that crossed my mind just now." Draco grinned at his friend. "This is the first time I've ever eaten at a table with at least one person from every house." Theo blinked, looking around.

"Shit, you're right." Theo said. There was a stunned silence around the table at the realization.

"Yay for not hating each other. Let's eat." George said, breaking the tension.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Ron exclaimed, foregoing the prawns and heading straight for the turkey. Draco chuckled and looked up at Hermione, who was watching him carefully, an odd look in her eye. He couldn't quite place it; it wasn't merely adoration, and it wasn't lust. The closest thing he could compare it to was the look she'd worn when he'd held her close to him in Theo's guest room. Comfort and security. He wasn't sure what he'd done to provide her with that feeling in that moment, but he smiled at her from across the table and he knew as soon as she blushed that he'd caught her while she was in her head.

There were rare moments that Draco savored with Hermione, when she dropped all her walls and let everyone see who she really was. He hadn't seen her do it in a group larger than just him and Theo, but he found his heart swelling at the sight of his girl dropping her walls in such a large group. It helped Draco relax and come out of his shell a bit, even jumping in and animated debating quidditch with Ron and George.

Draco basked in the glow of the festivities, happy that for once, the loud noises weren't bickering, but bantering, and everywhere around him the people were smiling at one another. He could stay like that forever.

But Draco glanced up at Theo midway through dinner, and he noticed his friend was being rather quiet. Draco frowned slightly, but didn't want to draw attention to Theo by calling out to him. As he watched, Theo seemed to shut himself off from everyone, staring at his plate and nothing else. Perhaps the conversations were too loud. Perhaps he wasn't used to being so open with that amount of people. Draco understood that Theo didn't really function in society like most people, and that he tended to close himself off when he felt threatened. It was instinct.

Draco was already trying to come up with a plan to help his friend discreetly when he noticed something peculiar. He watched Luna, sitting next to Theo, talking animatedly to Neville across the table about the diet of the North American Re'ems. In the middle of the conversation, without missing a beat in the discussion, she reached out to Theo and held his hand under the table. The contact seemed to jolt him back to the present and he looked around a bit nervously. Draco noticed he didn't shrug away from Luna's touch, but rather he seemed to cling to it.

Draco smirked. He knew that feeling all too well. Draco's eyes met Neville's across the table briefly and he knew at once the other man had noticed, as well, and yet he still chatted happily with Luna as though nothing had occurred. Draco watched Theo's reaction to Luna's hand carefully, and was surprised to find Theo growing more confident by the second. Draco grinned, finally looking away from his friend who was obviously in good hand.

"They're rather good for each other, aren't they?" Ginny asked quietly. Draco nodded.

"Seems that way. I'm just glad he's not shutting down." Draco sighed in relief.

"Draco, didn't anyone ever tell you? The point of life isn't always to survive. Sometimes, like now, it's to thrive. If there's anyone in the world that can teach Theo that lesson, it's Luna."

Draco agreed with the assessment, looking Ginny over.

"You know, you Weasleys aren't so bad when you're not trying to hex me." Draco smirked.

"Just remember, she's hexed her brothers nearly as much as death eaters, so you're not in the clear just cause you're a friend now." George told Draco. He smiled.

He had friends. He loved the feeling of openness, seemingly washing away the years of forced deceit and shadowy dealings, and replacing them with a light, airy, atmosphere that permeated the air. Draco took a bite of the stuffing he'd made and chuckled. Part of it had been roasted inside the turkey for just a tad too long and was a little burnt.

"Looks like I'm eating burnt stuffing after all."


	17. Flame That Never Dies

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

 ** _Warning_** _: This chapter is like 90% smut. It's also a little shorter than normal. Hope you all enjoy it._

* * *

 _December 31, 2000 London, England - Hermione's Flat_

Hermione and Draco had opted to stay home on New Year's Eve, both feeling rather drained from the holiday season. They'd spent the day curled up on the couch, Hermione still in her pajamas, reading and talking. Theo and Luna were supposed to be over around eleven that night to bring in the new year with them, but Hermione was perfectly content to curl up with Draco until then.

"I'm _really_ not looking forward to going back to work on Monday." Draco groaned. Hermione had her head in Draco's lap, reading _A Brief History of Time_ with his arm draped over her and absentmindedly running his fingers along her arms and stomach. Hermione looked up at him at his exclamation.

"Honestly, Draco, you get a whole week of work and you _still_ don't want to go back on Monday? We're nearly finished with the the Tempus device. We really need a name for that thing." Hermione frowned. Draco smirked.

"Why we just call it what it is? A bowl that takes you back in time?" Draco asked her. She rolled her eyes.

"That's a bit of a mouthful." She said. Draco shrugged.

"So do what every _other_ witch or wizard over the centuries has done: put it in Latin." Draco chuckled.

"I suppose it could work." Hermione mused. "I'll have to look into the translations Monday. How's the particle accelerator going?"

"Sketches are done. Equations, done. Practical application of those things however, are going to require some heavy lifting. Namely, I have no bloody clue how I'm going to power this thing. Which is why I'm dreading Monday. I've gotta figure it out." Draco complained.

"Theo and I are almost done with the modified prototype. Since we can't progress without the particle accelerator, we'll have to help you out before we can move along before we can begin proper testing." Hermione suggested.

"I suppose you're right." He allowed.

"I always am." Hermione smirked up at him.

"Theo's right, you _have_ been spending too much time with me." Draco chuckled, leaning down to kiss her forehead. She marked her spot in her book, standing up to place it on the coffee table before moving to sit on Draco's lap.

"Well, hello there." Draco murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist. His low voice and darkening eyes made Hermione's stomach tighten just a little. She kissed her way up his jawline, knowing he always got goosebumps when she nibbled his neck a little. They hadn't done too much together, but she knew enough to get him worked up pretty fast.

"What're you trying to do, little girl?" Draco drawled, his voice coarse. Hermione giggled a little; she loved when he called her that, even though she wasn't quite sure why.

"Stuff." Hermione managed to reply. Draco laughed a little.

"That is probably the _least_ Hermione-ish response I've ever heard. Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Draco asked, leaning back to look her over.

"It's not my fault my brain sort of shuts down when I'm this close to you." Hermione protested. "Words are hard."

"If you keep this up, words won't be the only things that are hard." Draco murmured. Hermione felt herself dampen at the suggestiveness in his tone. In combination with how his eyes grazed over her and the way his hands moved against her back and sides, she was well on her way to arousal as well. She noticed that he didn't go above her bra line or below her pantyline and wondered at that.

She reached behind her and took his hand in her own, moving it downward, towards her bum. He watched her curiously at first, but then he realized what she was doing and stopped his hand, looking into her eyes intensely for a moment.

"Are you sure you want this, Hermione?" Draco asked seriously. Hermione paused, taken slightly aback by the seriousness in Draco's tone. She nodded with a slight smile.

"Yes, I want this. I wouldn't initiate it if I didn't, you know that." Hermione told him, looking into his eyes. His eyes dilated a tiny bit and suddenly Draco hands were moving again, slowly. Hermione squirmed under his touch, his hands trailing down her spine, so very close to where she'd been trying to lead him. He maintained eye contact with her as his hands grazed the top of her hips, then sunk lower, gripping at her ass gently. Hermione nearly moaned at the new, intimate touch.

Her back arched a little, which only gave Draco more room to massage her, his hands running over her ass and down her exposed legs. The feeling of his hand over the thin material of her sleep shorts gave Hermione goosebumps. She wore no bra, and as her arousal grew, that became evident as her nipples hardened. Draco seemed to notice that, as he smirked, one hand grasping her as the other trailed up over her hip, towards her stomach. He distracted her by kissing her on the junction of her neck and shoulder.

She bit her bottom lip when she felt Draco rubbing one breast gently, his thumb working her nipple in electrifying circles that had her gasping, eyes closed. She clung to him tighter when he slipped his hand beneath her shirt and worked his magic on her bare skin.

She heard him chuckle beneath her and she opened her eyes to see what was so funny. The look in his eye, a playful, mischievous light dancing in his grey eyes, only heightened her nearly overwhelmed senses.

"This what you had in mind, love?" Draco smirked. Hermione nodded a little.

"And- um, perhaps a bit more?" Hermione managed to choke out.

"More?" Draco asked playfully, his eyebrows shooting up. "What more could you possibly want?" Draco cooed. Hermione couldn't respond because at that moment, Draco tugged on her nipple a little harder and she moaned. He didn't relent, moving to the other nipple and teasing it until Hermione moaned his name.

"You look so beautiful when you're moaning my name, Hermione." Draco murmured kissing her temple. "Let's see if I can make you do it again."

He flattened his hand against her breast, giving it one last squeeze before trailing his palm down her chest, a single finger circling her navel before he kissed her roughly, his hand sinking between her thighs. He rubbed her over her shorts but the friction was intoxicating to Hermione, who melted under his touch. She met Draco's kiss eagerly, her hand curling into the hair at the base of his neck. She was suddenly glad that he'd let his hair grow out a bit; it let her pull herself even closer to him. She heard Draco growl a little in the back of his throat before he broke the kiss, moving up her jawline and nibbling her ear a little bit.

"If you keep pulling my hair like that, little girl, I'm not responsible for what happens to this pretty little pussy." Draco growled in her ear. He thrummed his fingers over her folds for emphasis, Hermione's hand immediately clenching in Draco's hair. She heard him release a deep, guttural moan before pulling his hand back up and pushing it under her shorts and panties. She gasped at the sudden skin-to-skin contact. His fingers gently separated her folds, her arousal coating his fingers quickly.

Her leg muscles tightened almost instantly as he circled the little bundle of nerves hidden in her folds. She threw her head back, a long, quivering moan falling from her lips.

"Dr-Draco!" Hermione gasped, her hand grasping at his forearm for stability.

"We're just getting started here, little one, though I do love your enthusiasm." Draco murmured in her ear, then began stroking her sensitive clit, rubbing circles at an ever-increasing rate. Hermione's mind was a blur of sensations, her body feeling tingly all over. She could already feel the ache of an orgasm building in in her lower abdomen. Her hips bucked uncontrollably her thighs closing instinctively. She closed her eyes tightly, her muscles spasming and her nails digging in the Draco's forearm.

"Are you close, love?" Draco asked, his breath catching a bit. Hermione nodded vigorously, biting her bottom lip. Draco sped up, moving his hand so that his thumb bore the brunt of the clitoral stimulation, his middle finger easing into her tight hole. He sank his finger in to the second knuckle, Hermione gasping at the combined sensations. She felt her orgasm building, nearly painful, and when she was just at the edge, Draco started thrust his finger in and out, pushing Hermione over the edge.

"Draco!" She writhed in Draco's arms, her head feeling light. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, Draco doing his best to draw out her orgasm as long as he could. Finally, he pulled his finger out of her, causing her to sigh as she finally felt herself coming down from cloud nine. She curled herself into Draco's chest, pressing little kisses wherever her lips happened to land.

"How was that, love? Satisfied?" Draco crooned. She nodded.

"That was amazing." She replied. Her body felt like warm jelly, loose and relaxed.

"Happy to help, little one." Draco chuckled.

"You just wait until I get a hold of you." Hermione muttered into his chest.

"I'm looking forward to that, love. But now is not the time. You should probably hop in the shower before Theo and Luna get here, it's nearly ten." Draco said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

"Nearly ten? How long were we- you know- doing that?" Hermione asked, looking up at him confusedly.

"About an hour, 'Mione, all told." he chuckled at her.

" _Seriously?_ " She asked, grabbing his wrist to check watch.

"Yes, why is that so unbelieveable?" Draco asked bemusedly.

"I've _never_ come in under an hour with another person." She admitted. Draco smirked proudly.

"Well _that_ makes me feel really good about my abilities." he told her. "Also, has anyone ever told you that you're adorable when you can't form a proper sentence?" Hermione blushed furiously.

"Actually, no." Hermione confessed. "How?"

"It's just an incredible feeling to know that I have the power to make you forget everything except me for a little while." Draco smirked at her. She blushed harder, if possible, looking down, before pushing herself up and heading towards her bathroom.

"I'm going to go take a shower, before you find a way to make me blush even harder." She said, looking back at him over her shoulder. "You may want to do something about that bulge, love." She added with a wink before disappearing into her bathroom.


	18. Darkest Night Will End

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

 _I won't be able to post for the next 2ish days for those of you following this story, but the story, but I'll be back by Monday at the latest._

* * *

 _January 9, 2001 London, England - The Time Office_

Theo poured himself another cup of coffee, the third of the day, and leaned against Hermione's desk watching Draco and Hermione. They were trying to puzzle out how to fuel the particle accelerator for what Hermione had dubbed the Patera Temporis. Theo glanced at the papers they were reviewing, looking over the equations and finding that they were quite similar to those of the now-completed Patera.

"Why don't you just fuel it with a memory, like with the Patera Temporis? The spell would have to be modified slightly, but it could still be applied." Theo asked, curiously.

"Because a single memory wouldn't be able to fuel both devices." Draco said. Theo shrugged.

"So use two. The second wouldn't have to be used until the subject was ready to return anyway. The memory would be destroyed, but that's the price of time travel." Theo said simply, returning to his desk to retrieve the list of spells used on his improved prototype.

"Here. Hermione helped me with most of the transfiguration and binding. I'm sure you two can apply these to the particle accelerator." He said, before settling down to write his report on the first test stages of the Patera Temporis.

He'd only used it to take him back in time by a few minutes, so far. He would spend five minutes in an empty room, then use the memory of the empty room to transport himself back in time, under a Disillusionment Charm. He'd have to time himself, only moving out of the empty room in the past after his past self had used the device. It had taken him a while to wrap his head around the timelines and how the test should go in practice, but he eventually figured it out and all five of his experiments went off without a hitch.

His report was the last thing he had to do before they could move on to the real test: using the device in conjunction with the particle accelerator to go back in time. Theo had a bit of anxiety about the last test. He knew one of them would have to actually perform the test, but he didn't want his friends to be stranded in the past. He wouldn't be able to function knowing he had been the cause of something like that. Even thinking about it made him anxious. He sat down his quill just moments after picking it up, huffing slightly. Hermione looked up at him.

"Theo, what's going on?" She asked, an eyebrow arched. He merely shrugged, but Hermione wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"Luna's been on that expedition in Kent for the past couple days, because tonight's the full moon. She's looking for mooncalves. I haven't been sleeping well because of it." Theo admitted. Draco smiled, knowingly.

"I didn't think you two were _that_ close." Hermione said, eyebrows shooting up. Theo frowned a bit, then blushed, his eyes widening when he realized what she meant.

"Oh, n-no, Hermione. That's not why I can't sleep. Not at all! She and I usually hang out and talk at the Leaky, or, recently, my flat, after work. Helps me unwind and she enjoys the company." Theo said quickly.

"Oh," Hermione giggled. "Well, that makes a bit more sense. When will she be back?"

"She's supposed to be back tomorrow night, but I won't see her until Thursday. We, um, have a date." Theo said, smiling and looking down.

"About bloody time." Draco muttered, a grin plastered on his face. "Why don't you come over to the manor tonight, mate? I've got nothing better to do, and Hermione is abandoning me for Ginny."

Theo thought it over; it would get him out of his head, that was certain. He nodded.

"Alright. I'll be over around seven." Theo said carefully. He supposed it was better than spending the night going over and over how his first date with Luna was going to play out. He gathered up his thoughts and locked them away, forcing himself to think about his work for the last few hours of the day.

* * *

 _That Night, Wiltshire, England - Malfoy Manor_

Theo and Draco sat in the lounge of the manor, each holding a snifter of brandy and talking idly. Theo knew there was something that Draco wanted to talk to him about; he could tell by the way Draco grasped for conversation instead of letting it come naturally as they always had. He let it go at first, figuring Draco was just trying to find the right time to bring it up. But as the night drug on, an hour and a half, and several measures of brandy, slipping by without head nor tail of Draco coming clean, Theo was getting a little pissed.

Draco's back was stiff as a board as he talked half-heartedly about Theo's upcoming date. He'd finally had enough, setting down his snifter on the table in front of him with a firm clink. Draco was so tightly wound, he jumped.

"Draco, what are you hiding?" Theo demanded.

"Hiding? I'm not _hiding_ anything." Draco said, fidgeting. His voice was nearly an octave higher than normal and Theo rolled his eyes.

"Draco, you're shite at lying. Remind me again how you got into Slytherin?" he drawled. Draco bristled at that.

"It's only with you and Hermione. I swear, you two don't let me get away with _anything_." Draco sulked.

"Probably because you feel like the scum of the Earth at even the _suggestion_ that you're being less than honest with us. Your tells are fairly blatant when you lie to me." Theo observed. "So are you going to tell me or not?" Draco's eyes lit up.

"Is 'not' an actual option?" he asked hopefully.

"No." Theo deadpanned.

"Bollocks." Draco slouched, running a hand across his face. "Damn it, Hermione, why did you insist _I_ have this talk?" he muttered under his breath. Theo arched a brow. So they were both hiding something?

"Draco. Just say it." he groaned. The suspense was killing him.

"Before I do, I need you to remember that I am your best mate and that this is _not my idea._ " Draco nearly pleaded. "Say it with me, 'this is not Draco's-'"

"I will hex you into next week if you don't spit it out, Malfoy." Theo growled, beyond done with his games.

"Hermione wants to be the subject for the last test." Draco said quickly, wincing and turning away from Theo. It took him a few seconds to realize what Draco had said, and to process the information.

"No." Theo said firmly, yet calmly. He couldn't risk Hermione's life like that.

"What do you mean, no?" Draco asked, his face more shocked than upset. "She didn't tell _you_ no when you offered to test the shorter tests. She's been feeling really inadequate for her position recently, Theo. She hasn't really been doing much other than theory, numbers, and a little spellwork. She wants to actually contribute to this, and this is how she wants to help." Draco argued, stumbling a bit on his words. Theo frowned.

"What else is there to it, Draco? Why else does she feel the need to go, and why isn't she telling me this herself?" he asked. Draco visibly sagged as though Theo had placed a physical load upon him. He sighed, resigning himself to revealing the truth.

"Fine. So you're aware that she knows about me finding you in the tower when - yeah. Well, I

was talking with her right before the anniversary and I told her how I found you, and how confused I was by the not knowing who wrote the note." Draco started. Theo nodded; they were finally getting somewhere, and Draco was telling the full truth. Theo watched the man carefully for any of his tells.

"Theo, she presented me a theory that I can't help but think is accurate. She's the _only_ person that knew exactly where both of us were that night. The only person that would care enough about you to warn me. She _knows_ the importance of that night. What if you're still here because she's _already gone back?_ "

Theo paused. They'd accepted, in their research, that humans had been hardwired to perceive the flow of time as a chain of events, always moving forward and never back. But with the discovery of wormholes and time-travel, the horizons were expanded and philosophy became practical. Theo, as well as Hermione and Draco, had become convinced that the proposal of eternalism was the most correct theory in regards to the metaphysics of time, if only through extensive testing of various time devices. The approach that past, present, and future were all very real and existed simultaneously, always moving forward. But with the added element of time-travel being a possibility, the trio had begun to view time almost cyclically. The past could indeed be changed by an event in the future, or vice-versa.

It was, therefore, entirely possible that the only reason Theo was alive was because of the events he was currently living through. He let that sink in for a moment. In one aspect, he was touched that Hermione cared about him enough to risk her life to go back in time just to ensure Theo didn't succumb to his depression. In another, Theo felt emotion welling in his chest as he realized he was essentially saving himself.

"How positive is she that she wrote the note?" Theo asked absently. He needed probability, confirmation that his life was indeed on the line with this decision.

"She's about eighty percent sure that she wrote the note. And being the _only person_ I've ever told about the whole situation, and someone who frequented the Room of Requirement, I think she's the only real option." Draco said, confidently. Theo groaned.

"I'm not going to like this. In fact, I'm going to hate every second that she is gone. But I suppose it can't be helped. I won't stop her." Theo grumbled. Relief washed over Draco's face.

"Thank Merlin, am I glad that didn't devolve into an all-out brawl. I fully expect that's why she asked me to do it, you know. You two are so protective and _stubborn_ that it was a serious concern of mine that it would actually be detrimental to your friendship." Draco sighed, taking a spi of his brandy. Theo smiled sideways at him.

"Me? Stubborn? Where'd you get that notion, mate?" Theo asked, innocently.

"Hm, maybe the intense interrogation at the beginning of this conversation? Seems pretty stubborn to me." Draco laughed. Theo shrugged, leaning back in his chair again.

"Nah. And if you thought _that_ interrogation was intense, you should see my interrogations when I'm mad." He smiled, the wide grin spreading slowly and evily across his face, making Draco shiver.

"How about I just take your word for it, eh, mate?" He suggested, and Theo's laughter boomed about the room loudly. He was happy that Draco was relaxing again, as that meant that he would be able to, as well. With the stress from the looming tests and his first real date in- well, ever, Theo was glad that his friend had gotten everything out in the open. But now, he was going to do something he'd sworn to himself that he'd never do.

"Draco, I need some advice." Theo started, shifting nervously. Draco sat up a little; it wasn't often that Theo asked for _anyone's_ advice. "What the hell am I supposed to do on a first date?" Draco blinked once, then burst out laughing. Theo scowled at him until he stopped.

"I'm sorry, Theo, it's just, well- I thought the same thing when I first took Hermione out. I'd never been on a date with a girl outside Hogwarts. I had no idea what adults did on a date. I just went with my instincts. Usually dinner is involved, but it can be whatever the two of you want." Draco told him. "Talk to her and see what she'd like to do. You can even let her take the lead, you know." he smiled at the other man.

"That actually makes me feel better. Luna is really agreeable, and she loves it when I ask her opinion about even trivial matters. Maybe I'll make it all about her. She hasn't been getting very much attention from her father recently." Theo mused. Draco nodded.

"Yes. Do that. Make it all about her. I honestly think that woman could take you to the most interesting, if odd, place in the world if you give her free reign and tell her she's pretty." Draco shook his head.

"Well, that won't be a problem. I've been trying not to tell her how gorgeous she is since I first ran into her at the Leaky. Didn't want to come on too strong." Theo blushed a little.

"They grow up so fast." Draco cooed, dabbing an imaginary tear from his eye before pulling his leg away from a well-aimed kick to his shin.

Theo and Draco talked well into the night, Draco trying to calm Theo's mind about their project and his date, and eventually veering away from both topics to discuss trivial matters, like Harry and Ginny's engagement, which Hermione had told Draco about the night before. The men finally pulled themselves back to reality when they realized it was nearly one in the morning. Theo decided it wasn't worth it to head back to his flat and just crashed in one of Draco's several spare rooms.

Before he drifted off to sleep, he looked out of the window near his bed, seeing the full moon hanging in the sky, and thinking of the woman whose name the bright orb shared.


	19. Sun Will Rise

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

* * *

 _January 11, 2001 Glen Affric, Scotland_

Theo held a picnic basket in one hand, and Luna's hand in his other as they made their way through the forest. It was a big of a foggy night, and there was a cold breeze coming off the loch to the north of them. Each of them had a warming charm placed on them, so they didn't notice anything but their beautiful surroundings.

The moon was still mostly full, causing the snow on the ground and in the trees to glitter like thousands of pieces of shattered glass. Luna tugged on Theo's hand, guiding him through the forest as though taking him in a tour of her home. Theo smiled at the woman's eagerness; she'd been giddy when he'd asked her what she'd like to do on their date. She had insisted that she'd be happy with anything, that they should do what Theo wanted. Theo had smiled and told her he wanted to make her happy, and had been rewarded with a bright blush.

They'd decided to go for a midnight picnic in the Scottish forest. Luna had been excited to show Theo a spot she and her father had discovered on one of their many camping ventures when she was a child. He loved seeing her so eager and enthusiastic and knew immediately he'd made the right choice to let her pick.

Theo had been raised by his aristocratic father in the most pureblood-centric upbringing he could imagine. He'd never been camping or even had much contact with magical creatures outside of school, though he did fairly well in Care of Magical Creatures, so the experience was a new one for him. He found that the views were worth the hike, and that Luna was a completely different person when she was this immersed in nature. She stood a little straighter, walked with confidence, and even her airy voice seemed to carry further. Theo watched her pull him through the forest, eyes focused on her nearly glowing-blonde hair and the curves they hid. She stopped suddenly, causing Theo to stumble into her a bit.

"We're here." She murmured. Theo looked around the little glade in wonder. There were thousands of little lights in the trees, flitting idly around the the edges of the forest.

"Fairies?" he asked. Luna nodded.

"There're a few hinkypunks closer to the loch, but they usually don't come too close to this glade after Dad blasted five of them in '89." She said. "Most of the fairies steer clear of the glade, sticking to the edges, when they sense a wizarding presence. They became accustomed Dad, as he was up here for nearly three months before I started Hogwarts."

"It's beautiful." Theo said. Luna took the basket from Theo and removed the blanket from the top. It had been spelled to retain heat and repel water, so they could just lay it over the snow without getting wet. Luna spread the blanket out and sat herself down, and Theo followed, pulling out the food.

They'd packed light, just a couple turkey wraps, carrot sticks with hummus, a couple sliced apples, and some sliced cheddar cheese. They'd brought a few bottles of water for the hike as well. Luna sat in front of Theo, happily munching on some carrots and chattering about the fairies and their relationship with her father. Theo listened attentively and found himself asking her questions about fairies that he already knew the answers to just to hear the excitement in her voice and see the light in her eyes as she talked. Halfway through their meal, Theo was startled when a large blue-grey bird swooped over their heads, landing beside Luna, nudging her with it's head, like a cat demanding to be pet.

"Hey there, Skye. You've grown, haven't you?" Luna said, stroking the bird's feathers lovingly. The bird nipped her fingers gently, a guttural noise of contentment escaping its beak. Luna turned back to Theo.

"This is Skye, he's an Augurey, or Irish Phoenix. I found him after he fell out of his nest as a baby. Father and I nursed him back to health and released him back into the forest here. He's got a nest near the loch, but he's rather fond of the glade for hunting." She said.

"I've always heard an Augurey's song foretold death." Theo said, shifting uncomfortably and eyeing the large bird suspiciously. Luna laughed, a bell-like sound that sounded like music to him.

"That old myth? No, Augurey sing when it's about to rain. That's when they do most of their hunting, as well." Theo relaxed a bit at that knowledge. He trusted Luna, knowing she wouldn't put him in danger without warning him first. His eyes roved over Luna, her pale features accentuated by the moonlight, brightening her hair and skin, and causing her blue eyes to look nearly grey, the same color of the augurey's feathers.

"This was a brilliant idea, Luna." Theo said suddenly. "Seeing you in the moonlight is beautiful enough, but seeing you interacting with creatures in the moonlight- that's something special." he grinned at her when he saw her cheeks darken a little.

"Are you sure I'm not boring you?" She asked, looking down. Theo moved closer to her, lifting her chin and brushing a few loose strands of hair off her face, his hand lingering against her cheek.

"I'm positive, love. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you talk about the things you're passionate about. You look so beautiful when you're talking about your work." he crooned, his heart speeding up as she blushed harder.

"You know, I've never met anyone quite like you, Theo." She murmured, looking at him with a little frown on her face.

"Well, good. I pride myself in my originality, after all." He chuckled.

"No, I mean- well, no one has really shown an interest in the things I like. Sure, Dad does, but no one my age really seems to listen to me the way you do." Luna said, her frown persisting.

"Luna, you put your heart into your work. Watching you talk about it is like catching a glimpse of your heart on display. It's mesmerizing." he murmured, leaning even closer until their noses were nearly touching. Luna's frown slowly dissipated as she read his face, seemingly looking him over to ensure he was telling the truth. She smiled widely when she decided he was being honest, before closing the distance them and kissing him. It was soft, yet enthusiastic. Theo smiled through the kiss; it was so very _Luna_. His hand found her waist as he kissed her back, deepening the kiss just a bit.

They were startled, jarring apart rather suddenly when Skye moaned mournfully. Theo, having never heard an Augurey's cry, nearly jumped out of his skin. Luna merely reached over and ruffled his feather.

"Thank you, Skye. Go hunt, we'll be off soon." She muttered to the bird, waiting for him to take off before standing. "There's a snowstorm on the way. We should head out. Would you mind terribly if I stayed with you tonight, Theo?" Luna asked, bashfully. Theo stood with her, his hand finding her waist and pulling him closer to her for a moment, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Of course I don't mind, love. I have a spare room, but if you'd like, you'd be more than welcome to share my bed." Theo blushed furiously at the suggestion. Luna surely noticed as she giggled and blushed as well.

"Would it help you sleep?" She asked, looking into his eyes. His heart melted at the question. He nodded, not trusting his voice. She smiled, pulling out her wand and flicking it at the blanket and food spread across it, causing it to pack itself back into the basket neatly. She picked up the basket and tucked her wand behind her left ear, taking Theo's hand in her own.

"After you, handsome." She smiled. Theo squeezed her hand, returning the smile, before Disapparating back to his flat.

* * *

 _January 16, 2001 London, England - Time Office_

"Okay, just remember: don't panic, stay logical, and most importantly- come back to us." Theo rattled off. Hermione chuckled, grabbing her friend in a hug.

"I'll be okay, Theo. Draco tested the particle accelerator all last week. I'll be fine. This test is essentially a formality. I'll be just fine." she told him. She'd been reassuring Draco with the same sentiments all week, partially trying to convince herself of it, as well.

Theo hugged her to him tightly, as though not wanting to let her go. Hermione knew both men were more nervous about her going than she was because they'd be able to do nothing to help her should either device malfunction. She was surprised that Draco was able to convince Theo so easily, but regardless of his acceptance, both of the men's anxiety was etched on their faces. She could read it like a book.

Hermione extracted herself from Theo, turning to Draco for one last hug before her mission. He held her tightly, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

" _Be careful._ " he hissed into her ear. She nodded once, releasing him, but looking into his grey eyes one last time. She read all the anxiety and tension that he hid there and her heart broke a little at the amount of genuine distress she was causing in the two of them. She knew, should she not return, they'd be the only ones to know what had happened to her, and they likely wouldn't even be able to tell their friends what had transpired.

Hermione took a deep breath, shaking herself from her thoughts and moving to the Patera Temporis, where it stood on Theo's desk. She drew her wand, tapping the almost-bludger-sized silver ball on the desk. The ball shattered before reforming into the familiar bowl shape, but where the old prototype only had a singular orb hovering above the bowl, Theo's version had two orbs floating in an hourglass shape, circling the silver particle accelerator in the center.

Hermione reached into her pocket, pulling out the memory Draco had pulled for her. It was five hours long, which meant she had five hours to figure out how to get the note on the vanishing cabinet. She had asked Harry to borrow his invisibility cloak for added security, which he was more than happy to supply; it was folded on the corner of the desk next to the device.

Hermione uncorked the vial containing the memory, pouring it into the bowl in one fluid motion and placing the vial back in her pocket. The memory swirled around the bowl, lighting up the lines along the edges. Hermione watched the lights travel along the basin until the whole surface was lit and the particle accelerator clicked out of its place. Hermione took the little silver ball, tucking it safely in her pocket. The moment she removed the particle accelerator, text appeared where it had been.

" _November 28, 1996._ Yep, that's the right date." Theo verified. Hermione took a deep breath, securing her wand in its holster on her arm. She reached for the invisibility cloak, wrapping it around herself.

"Wish me luck, boys." She said, spinning the glowing hourglass. The blue light immediately enveloped her, spiraling around her. She felt dizzy, disoriented. She looked to Draco, his face seemingly dematerializing as the world went white, streaked with blue.

Hermione felt weightless; her feet were no longer on solid ground and she couldn't make out basic directions. After what felt like a few minutes, the world slowly rematerialized. It was as though she was watching a television turn on one pixel at a time. She blinked a couple times, the world coming into focus quite suddenly. Her feet suddenly hit solid ground and she stumbled, falling to her knees. She retched, her stomach suddenly very uneasy. It took her several minutes and a pretty hefty Scourgify charm before she was able to draw herself up to her full height and assess her surroundings.

She was just outside the Great Hall at Hogwarts. _Great. Merlin, I hope I can pull this off._ She thought to herself, looking around the foyer. She was debating just going to the Room of Requirement when she spotted a familiar blonde head and, with a quick silencing charm to muffle her footsteps, she made to follow Draco Malfoy.


	20. Beyond the Barricade

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic. Please don't sue me._

* * *

 _November 28, 1996 Hogwarts School, Scotland - Seventh Floor Corridor_

Hermione tucked herself into a corner of the corridor, watching Draco pace back and forth along the hall in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, four or five books in his arms. She recalled that he normally had Crabbe or Goyle stand watch, polyjuiced as a girl holding a set of scales, though she and Draco were the only people on the floor now. She frowned, wondering why tonight was different. She scanned the face of the boy that would become her boyfriend. His brow was furrowed in concentration, but she was sure he wasn't concentrating that hard on the request for the Room of Hidden Things.

Hermione checked her watch, noting that she only had four and a half hours left. It was nearly five in the morning; she figured that he'd had to stop working to retrieve books from his room, based on what Draco had told her about that day. She knew that Draco had found Theo around sunrise, and that he'd gone to locate another book in the Room of Hidden Things at some point, but she had no real idea what the timeline was like.

She looked up, noticing that Draco had just made his third round and the door sprung up on the wall as though it had always been there. Hermione slipped down the hall, sneaking in just before Draco closed the door behind him. She followed him down the twisting aisles, keeping a few feet behind him so he didn't grow suspicious of her. She knew he was always on high alert when working on his project, so she was sure to do everything in her power to avoid his detection.

She settled into a little alcove, across from the vanishing cabinet and watched Draco carefully. She'd forgotten how pale and drawn he'd been, and she never knew him to work so tirelessly on a project. He sat cross legged before the cabinet, three or four books open in around him and his wand held loosely in his hand. Occasionally, he'd cast a spell or two, but when the cabinet rattled briefly then halted, Draco would curse, tucking his head back into the books and renewing his search in earnest.

Hermione smiled a bit at that; she knew that side of Draco well. The weeks he'd spent slaving over the particle accelerator in her pocket leaped to her mind, reminding her of his utter determination to finish what he started.

As the night wore on, Hermione began to wonder if she was going to have to create a distraction to get him away from the cabinet. She remembered Draco telling her that he'd had to grab a book from his personal cache in the Room of Hidden Things, but he never told her where it was. She checked her watch, realizing it was nearly seven. She glanced back up at Draco, who showed no signs of moving any time soon.

Then something caught her eye. A glimmer moving through the aisles, like a mirage rising from hot pavement. Someone else was in the room with them. Hermione moved on instinct, hurrying to Draco's side and performed a curse that she'd never imagined she'd have to use.

" _Imperio._ " She muttered. Draco looked up, frowning, before pulling himself up to wander towards the back of the room, seemingly searching for something. Just as he was out of sight, Hermione watched the shimmer move to the cabinet, and saw a parchment seemingly appear out of thin air and stick itself onto the door of the cabinet. The shimmer then moved away, just as Draco was returning. Hermione looked to the note, verifying it was the same that Draco had told her about. When she was satisfied that it was the same, she followed the shimmer out of the room.

She was fairly certain whomever was under the Disillusionment charm knew they were being followed, as they took the most complex path in the castle, before ducking into an empty classroom. Hermione prepared herself to be confronted before entering after the shape.

In the middle of the room, Hermione came face-to-face with one Severus Snape. She gasped, then mentally cursed herself for the slip up. Snape obviously heard her and his eyes locked onto the spot where Hermione stood under the cloak.

"Reveal yourself." He enunciated quietly, his deep voice evoking memories that Hermione would have rather left undisturbed. She took a deep breath and let the cloak drop to her feet, meeting Snape's gaze. He looked rather confused as he looked over his former student, one that he had seen just a few hours earlier in the great hall. His brow creased uncharacteristically at the changes that he didn't quite understand in the woman he saw before him. Hermione's eyes locked with Snape's and she tried not to squirm under his gaze. She knew he was likely rifling through her memories to explain her presence.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's dangerous to mess with the flow of time, Granger?" Snape quipped, eyes still scanning her face.

"Frequently, Professor, but as one of the leading minds in the field, I believe I know better than most." She returned, cooly. Snape looked away, turning to the windows that shown out on the grounds, brightening by the moment in the early morning.

"Do they live?" He asked softly. Hermione's heart broke a bit at the pain in his voice when he asked the question.

"Yes. They both live, and are free in my time." Hermione told him, answering the unspoken question she knew he was thinking. Snape nodded once.

"What is your interest in my godson, Granger?" Snape asked, turning back around to scrutinize her again.

"He's my boyfriend." She told him, her head held high. Snape looked her over, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly when he determined she wasn't lying.

"He finally came around, then. Good to know. And Nott?"

"He's my partner at work, and one of my best friends." She told the older man. Snape looked her over, as though inspecting something for a flaw.

"I'm impressed. Those two stick together; the fact that you seem to care deeply enough about them to risk altering history speaks volumes of your own maturity. I'm not sure what you've been through in your time, Granger, but thank you for keeping those boys safe." Snape told her. "I would ask a favor, though. I don't anticipate making it out of this war alive." he said, pulling a scrap of parchment from his robes.

"I can't-" She started, but stopped when Snape held up his hand.

"I'm not asking you to divulge the secrets of the future, Ms. Granger, merely asking you to deliver a message from beyond the grave." Snape snapped, scribbling something on the parchment and handing it to her.

"In the basement, behind the painting of the raven. Take them with you." he told her. She nodded, tucking the parchment into her back pocket before checking her watch. She had just over an hour. She picked up the cloak, covering herself again before turning away from Snape. She paused at the door.

"Thank you, Professor. For everything." She said. She saw Snape duck his head, and knew that was the closest she'd get to an acceptance from him. She hurried away, up to the tallest tower where the past versions of her best friend and boyfriend were. She'd promised that she'd watch the interaction, allowing Draco to have the memory back.

She reached the top of the stairs just as Draco called out to Theo. She'd never seen Theo so torn up. The interaction between the two was so natural, Hermione finally understood why the two considered each other brothers. She watched them quietly in the cool morning air, the reddish light glowing around the two as the sat and talked. She marvelled at Draco's composure as he held Theo while he broke down. She glanced at her watch and sighed softly, realizing it was time to go.

If she stayed any longer than time the memory had allotted, she risked altering the time stream. She didn't want to mess around with the time stream of the pre-war world if she could help it at all, so she found herself tiptoeing quietly down the stairs of the tower and slipping into a little alcove a few stories below. She pulled out the particle accelerator and her wand, reminding herself how they'd designed the little orb.

She tapped the top of the snitch-sized silver ball twice with the tip of her wand and watched as it flipped open from the middle, hinged on one side. She laid the two halves in her hand, examining the internal structure. She hadn't had a chance to see the finished product since Draco had finished with it, but she knew well enough how it worked.

One side of the ball looked very much like the basin of the Patera Temporis, complete with the crevices through which memories flowed. On the other, however, the little ball very much resembled the innards of a clock, with gears and channels and moving parts galore. The most prominent piece was the bronze tube that spiralled throughout the half globe. She knew that was the business end, the part that would treat her body as a particle, which would be sped up to approaching the speed of light before gradually slowing back down, depositing her in her own time.

She wasn't looking forward to the trip, seeing as how the first one left her stumbling and vomiting. Nevertheless, Hermione pulled out the little vial in her pocket. First, she pulled out the memory of Draco and Theo in the tower, placing it in the vial and corking it before replacing it in her pocket. Then she trudged up the memory she most wanted to forget, the one she actually didn't mind losing. She normally wouldn't go through the pain and suffering of purposefully reminiscing about her torture at the hand of Bellatrix Lestrange, but it was a strong memory, and that was precisely the kind of power she needed for the particle accelerator to function.

She felt lighter as she pulled the white-blue strand from her temple with her wand, then prodded the wispy strand into the miniature basin in her palm. As the basin glowed a bright white-blue, the silver gleaming brightly, the clockwork in the other half immediately came to life, whirring and ticking softly. White text was emitted from the center, vaguely resembling Draco's messy scrawl. She tapped her wand on the center once.

"January 16, 2001. 11:15 am, Time Office, Department of Mysteries, London, England." She said clearly. Draco had told her the more specific she was about the when and where when using the device, the better the results would be. She hoped she wasn't _overly_ specific, but the display showed her exact time and date, and even her chosen location. Hermione stowed away her wand again and spun the little dial in the middle, bracing herself for the dematerializing feeling she'd experienced before, though it never came.

Instead, she felt a sensation very similar to apparition, as though she was being squeezed through a rubber tube. She felt dizzy, hearing a slight buzzing around her as she was enveloped in darkness. She counted backward from one hundred, trying to keep her focus off of the tightness in her chest and queasiness in her gut. By the time she reached forty, she found herself being dropped back onto her feet, in the very place she left. Her ears were ringing and the force of her landing caused the invisibility cloak to drop from her shoulder, but she noticed the particle accelerator snap shut and rejoin its parent device the moment her feet hit solid ground, just like it was designed to. She staggered for a moment, then looked about, meeting the surprised faces of both Draco and Theo.

She looked down at her watch. 11:15 am. Then she felt Theo crash into her, catching her up in a huge hug. Hermione giggled and hugged him back, looking over at Draco who had crossed his arms over his chest. Hermione extracted herself from Theo to figure out why Draco looked so pissed.

"Um, Draco? What's wrong?" She asked cautiously. He huffed, looking her over.

"You're five minutes late." He said, unable to hold back the smile on his face any longer. She chuckled, moving forward and hugging him. When she could finally bring herself to extract herself from the man, she plopped down in Theo's chair, as it was closest. She looked between the two men gravely, contemplating how each had grown.

"You'll never believe what happened." She deadpanned, settling in for a long conversation.


	21. Is There a World You Long to See?

_Disclaimer: All credit for any works mentioned, characters or locations used, and/or quotes go to their respective owners. I don't make money from this fic. No copyright infringement is intended._

 ** _One More Dawn! One More Day! One! More! Chapter!_**

* * *

 _January 21, 2001 Cokeworth, England - Spinner's End_

Theo, Draco, and Hermione stood on the dark, misty street in front of the last house on Spinner's End, looking up at the two-story brick dwelling that had belonged to Severus Snape. Snape had seemingly made Hermione the secret-keeper for his residence, as she had been the only one able to see the house. Once she informed the boys about it's existence, they were surprised to learn that this was where their Potion's professor had lived.

"I knew his father was a Muggle, but how did the Dark Lord tolerate one of his most loyal servants residing in a filthy Muggle-" Draco glanced nervously toward Hermione. She shook her head.

"No, this place is rundown and shoddy by Muggle standards, Draco. I do wonder why Voldemort didn't call Snape out on his house, but I know they both considered Hogwarts their real homes." Hermione shrugged. She moved to the door, surprised when she found it unlocked. She motioned the men to follow her inside, drawing her wand.

The sitting room was small and dark, the furniture falling apart, covered in dust, and threadbare. Bookcases lined the walls, looking very like a miniature library. Hermione lit her wand so as to see better in the dark house. She found that the doors leading out of the main room were all completely hidden among the walls of books. As such, it took her quite a few moments indeed to puzzle out where the door to the basement was precisely.

When they finally found the stairs to the dingy basement, Theo insisted on going first down the stairs. Hermione rolled her eyes but obliged; she was sure the Sorting Hat had messed up with him. He was as brave as any Gryffindor she'd ever seen. Nearly as reckless, too.

Theo carefully made his way down the stairs, Hermione and Draco following him closely. He paused when he reached the abandoned, musky-smelling basement. It was a small, rather enclosed space, just big enough for a few boxes and a small workspace, undoubtedly used for potions research.

"There," Hermione said, her wand light coming to rest on magical painting of a raven flying against a backdrop of blue. The trio approached the painting and Hermione jumped a bit when the raven landed, rustling its feathers and letting out a mournful caw.

" _Leave my loneliness unbroken! -quit the bust upon my door! Take thy beak from out my heart and take thy form from off my door!_ " The raven spoke in a high, scratchy tone, rustling its feathers and scratching at the ground with its talons. Hermione recognized the poem, but was too startled by the bird's racket to respond.

" _Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore'._ " Theo responded. The bird cocked its head to the side, looking over the man, before allowing his portrait to swing forward, revealing a safe. Draco moved forward, rapping the safe with his wand several times. They heard the tumblers click into place and soon enough, the safe door swung open as well. Hermione was unsure as to how Draco had known to do that, but she put it out of her mind as she stepped forward, wand held aloft to see into the dark safe.

In the safe, there were three envelopes. Hermione reached for them, pulling them out of the cold metal box. She saw they were marked with names, so she handed Theo and Draco the ones that were addressed to them, but she was rather surprised when she found the last was addressed to her.

She looked to the men, who were looking down at the letters clearly anxious to read what their head of house had written to them. Hermione was, as well.

"Let's open them together. On three?" Hermione suggested. Theo nodded, looking to Draco.

"One-" Draco said, looking between them.

"Two, Three." They finished as one, before tearing into their individual letters. Hermione pulled out her letter, written in the familiar scrawl of Severus Snape.

 _Ms. Granger,_

 _I assume that if you're reading this, you've made it back from the past safely. I wanted to tell you that I am immensely proud of your accomplishments in your field. I also wanted to thank you for taking care of Draco. It takes a special kind of person to see beyond the surface of a Slytherin, especially one who was trained to hide things from some of the most powerful wizards who have ever lived. You remind me of a girl I used to know in school. I hope you're the Gryffindor that changes his life for the better, like Lily changed mine, all those years ago._

 _Remember, in Gryffindor dwell the brave at heart, but Slytherin is where you will find your true friends._

 _-S. Snape_

Hermione was crying without realizing it. She had never quite understood that Snape took his role as Head of House quite seriously, and his role as Draco's godfather even more so. Snape had never been the cuddly sort; he wasn't exactly the most nurturing person in the world. But he clearly cared for Draco deeply. She knew, from Harry's story and from Draco's own accounts, that he had taken an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa to protect the boy with his life, but he never showed any other signs of affection towards the boy except slight favoritism in the classroom.

The mention of Lily is what broke her heart the most, though. She'd never thought of her relationship with Draco as anything even remotely similar to the friendship she knew existed between the potions master and Harry's mother. However, the look on Snape's face that morning in the abandoned classroom told her that, even though things went horribly wrong in his past, he was hopeful for the new generation. She clutched the letter to her chest, looking up to the men.

Draco looked lost, confused by the contents of his letter. In his hand, he held a little gold key. His eyes met Hermione's, and he answered her unasked question.

"He's made me his heir. The key is to his vault at Gringotts." Draco said, his face shocked.

"He's left this place to me." Theo spoke up, both sets of eyes snapping to him. "The entire house and its contents. Said he doesn't trust his collection with just anyone." Theo looked dumbfounded, as though unsure of why Snape would pick him.

"I don't care what anyone says about Snape," Draco said, "That man was more complex than ninety percent of the theories about time travel I've ever read." Hermione laughed.

"I actually agree with that sentiment." She chuckled. Theo's face was more sober than ever, though, and he turned, hurrying up the stairs and out of sight without another word.

"Theo?" Hermione called, starting after him, but Draco caught her, knowing what was going on with the other man.

"Let him go. He's obviously got some thinking to do." He told her. Hermione nodded. She hated when he ran out on them like that; it felt like he was running away from them. She knew he was type that needed to digest information before he could talk about it, but she couldn't help feeling like a bit of a failure as a friend at times like these. Draco squeezed her shoulder, studying her face and seeming to know exactly what she was feeling.

"Come on, love. Let's get out of here. If we don't hear from him in an hour, we'll send Luna after him." Draco murmured. She allowed herself a small grin at that, knowing if anyone could talk some sense into Theo, it was his girlfriend.

* * *

 _Later That Day, Hogwarts School, Scotland - The Black Lake_

Theo sat on a boulder, looking out on the lake with a detached air. Before him, a little marble stone was set in the clay, bearing the name of Severus Snape. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry had insisted on burying Snape on the grounds, in the only place he'd ever been truly happy. It was a small affair, and was done without magic.

The bigger, more elaborate memorial for the victims of the Second Wizarding War, a white marble wall bearing the names of fallen Order members and students, stood a few hundred feet away, between the graves of the two former Headmasters buried on the grounds.

Lost in thought, Theo was shaken from his reverie by a voice from behind him

"Didn't expect to find you here, Nott." Theo turned to see Harry standing behind him, holding a little bundle of flowers in his arms.

"Didn't expect to find myself here, Potter." he muttered. Harry nodded, moving forward and clearing the half-dead flowers that had been laid upon the grave previously, the same six-petalled white flowers as Harry held in his arm. Once the stone was clear, he placed the new flowers upon it, then stood back, moving to lean against the boulder Theo sat upon.

"Star of Bethlehem. Symbol of reconciliation." Theo said. Harry nodded.

"The man saved my life on more than one occasion and I didn't even know it." Harry said. Theo knew exactly how he felt.

"He saved a lot of people, Harry. More than you know." Theo said, looking at the flowers. "He's one of the best men I've ever known, even if I didn't know it at the time."

They sat in a silent agreement about their former teacher, each lost in their own thoughts. Theo didn't know why, but he felt the need to tell Harry something.

"I've been thinking a lot about the Sorting Hat, and the house unity rants it used to go on at school. I think I finally understand it. Snape may have been a Slytherin, but he was one of the bravest people I knew." Theo sighed.

"Dumbledore was a Gryffindor, but he hid so much from the world, sometimes I feel he may have been a better fit for Slytherin." Harry agreed.

"And I swear, I don't know how Hermione wasn't placed in Ravenclaw. Or even Slytherin. There are just so many different sides to people. I don't understand why our friendships and relationships are determined with a house system literally hundreds of years old that's based upon our defining traits at eleven years old." Theo frowned.

"I think the houses give students a certain sense of pride and competition necessary in their youth, but I believe all students should be encouraged to make friends with the other houses. Like you. You're not a bad bloke." Harry grinned at that, and Theo actually managed to smile.

"Yeah, and you're not the stuck up, self-centered prick Draco would have us believe you were in school." Theo snorted. He debated telling Harry about his inheritance of Snape's house; he decided he would need all the help he could get with clearing the place out.

"Listen, Potter, I recently came into possession of Snape's old house. I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me go through some of the things there. He had a massive collection of books. I can use all the help I can get." he asked, already dreading the amount of work the old house needed. Harry grinned.

"Just got finished cleaning out Grimmauld a few months ago. S'pose the place can't be half as bad as that." He shook his head in remembrance.

"Thanks, Harry. I guess I'd better get going. I think I scared Hermione pretty bad when I disappeared on them." Theo said standing. Harry nodded.

"One more thing," Harry said, stopping the other man before he could walk too far away. "You know Luna's birthday is coming up, right?"

Theo panicked a bit; he and Luna had just officially become a couple no more than a week before. They hadn't really discussed birthdays or anything like that, so Harry comment took him off guard.

"No, she hasn't mentioned it. When is it?" he blushed a little. The other man smiled gently, knowing that Luna was a private person, but also that she could be a bit scatterbrained sometimes.

"The day before Valentine's Day. Have fun with that one, mate." Harry said with a chuckle. Theo groaned a bit.

"Think she'd be up for a little party? I'd love to surprise her with all her friends." Theo asked, a twinkle in his eye. Harry grinned at the other man.

"Like I said, you're a decent bloke. I'll talk to Gin and see what we can arrange. Owl me the details, will you?" Harry asked. Theo nodded, then waved to the other man as he made his way across the grounds of his former school, towards Hogsmeade. He was already planning the party in his head and really needed to talk to Draco and Hermione to figure out some of the details.

An errant thought flew across his mind just before he disapparated. He was going to talk to his Slytherin and Gryffindor best friends about a surprise party for his Ravenclaw girlfriend. He smiled as he realized he was, in fact, becoming part of the change he so desperately wanted to see in the world.


	22. Tomorrow Comes

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this fic._

This is it, guys. The fic is finished. Thanks for sticking with me. Love your faces, and be on the lookout in a couple weeks for my next fic!

* * *

 _February 10, 2001 London, England - Hermione's Flat_

Draco looked around Hermione's little flat, nearly full to bursting with people. Hermione was finishing up the cake in the kitchen, Ginny helping where she could. The rest of the group assembled quietly in the small sitting room, waiting for Theo to arrive with Luna.

It had been insane trying to plan an event of this scale behind Luna's back. All the people closest to her were huddled around the room, talking quietly. Xenophilius had been ecstatic when he'd heard about the plans, and had dropped everything to help with the preparations. Draco looked over to where he was talking to Bill and Fleur Weasley excitedly. He smiled at the slightly forced smile upon their faces. Beside them, George and Angelina were talking about quidditch with Ron. Draco was surprised how at ease Ron was in his old flat, especially with Draco there. He supposed the shot of firewhiskey he'd downed already had something to do with it, but he was still quite impressed by the maturity.

Harry was finishing decorating the sitting room with the help of Hannah, and Neville was seated by the window, watching for the the couple. Ginny and Hermione brought out the cake and set it in front of the pile of presents on the coffee table in the living room, then moved to Draco's side, kissing him on the cheek.

"What's that for?" Draco smirked. Hermione shrugged.

"Cause I wanted to." She said simply, her hand finding Draco's, her fingers curling into his. He chuckled, then the lights went out.

"First signal, places!" Came the whispered voice of Neville, and Draco and Hermione scrambled with the rest of the room to surround the cake and presents quietly. Hermione flicked her wand at the candles, lighting them wordlessly. The group stood in the dark anxiously, and Draco smiled when he heard Theo's booming voice and Luna's bell-like laughter approaching the door.

"Maybe they're not home? The lights in the sitting room are out." They heard Luna say, muffled.

"They're home. Where else would Draco be on a Saturday? You know he hates sitting at the manor, and he's turning into an old man who doesn't like crowds much either." Theo's deep reply came. Draco smirked at the comment, half amused, half offended. They heard Theo knock loudly, but no one responded.

"Maybe we should go?" Luna said, her voice seeming further away.

"No, they're probably just in the kitchen and didn't hear the door. Come on, Luna." Draco could tell Theo was doing his best to not smile as he urged her to stay. "See? The door's unlocked."

"I don't know, Theo." She said. Theo opened the door properly and Draco saw him holding her to him. He heard her gasp as Theo flipped on the light switch beside the door. Theo had a huge smile as the crowd assembled began to sing "Happy Birthday".

"But, Theo, my birthday isn't until next week!" She said, turning to him, her eyes wide.

"I know. But it's just before Valentine's Day. I wanted you to have a day all your own, that was all about you. When I told all of our friends, they couldn't agree more." He said, smiling at her.

"You didn't have to-"

"I did." Theo stopped her. "And this is why. I needed to show you that _you are worth it._ " He nearly whispered to her. Draco smiled when Luna leapt into Theo's arms. He chuckled a bit and pulled her further into the little flat, closing the door.

"Oi," Ron called, grinning. "Are you two lovebirds quite finished? I prefer my cake _without_ wax all over it, if you don't mind." Luna giggled, rushing over to the cake. She thought for a moment about what to wish for, then blew the candles out. Hermione flicked her wand, and the knife and cake server busied themselves with cutting and serving the cake.

Luna approached Hermione with a hug.

"What's that for?" She asked, returning the hug. Luna smiled.

"I know Theo well enough to know he probably freaked out at the prospect of planning anything this elaborate for me." She told Hermione. Draco laughed,

"That he did. Nearly in a panic attack when he came to us with the idea." Draco mentioned, taking a plate of cake from the coffee table.

"Suppose you calmed him down while 'Mione started planning?" Luna asked, a knowing look in her eye.

"Of course." Hermione chuckled. "Are we really that predictable?" Luna shrugged.

"Only to someone who spends her life watching animals and studying their patterns." She said.

"I don't know whether that's a relief or more concerning." Draco muttered. Theo chuckled, coming up beside Draco and clapping him on the back.

"Believe me, mate, I thought the same thing at first." he said, looking over his girlfriend adoringly.

Xenophilius moved up behind his daughter, hugging her around waist. He looked over her head to Theo as he did.

"Thank you for being so good to my Luna, Mr. Nott. It's nice to see her so appreciated. And I'm thankful that you saw fit to invite me." He said, placing a kiss to Luna's temple.

"Of course, sir. Luna's told me quite a lot about you. I'm looking forward to spending time with you and her. She mentioned that you take a camping trip to Glen Affric every summer. I'd love to see the glade when the wildflowers are in bloom." He smiled.

Draco turned away, pulling Hermione with him to let the two men talk. Draco wasn't sure how long he could hide a smile in front of Xeno; Theo was playing him like a fiddle. It wasn't that Theo wasn't being honest; Draco had no doubt that everything Theo said was true. But Draco also knew the other man was blasting his charm at full force, trying to impress his girlfriend's father. Hermione sniggered when they were far enough away, lost in the small crowd.

"Did you see Luna's face? That's the first time I've ever seen that girl completely lost." Hermione said. Draco nodded.

"It's hard enough to surprise her, I think she's just experiencing several new things at once." Draco said, glancing back at a smiling Xeno and seeing Luna escaping the two talking men and moving to plop down next to Ginny and Harry.

"Yeah. Those two really are perfect for each other, aren't they?" Hermione said. Draco nodded, pulling Hermione into his arms and looking out over the gathering. It felt nice to relax for once; ever since the completion of their project, their work at the office had slowed down a bit, devolving into mostly endless reports, paperwork, and meetings. They hadn't needed to work overtime anymore, and surely didn't want to, as their lives outside of work were crazy, as well.

Theo had been cleaning out Snape's old house, going through box after box of old books and determining where they should go. Most were donated either to the Ministry or the Hogwarts library. Several found their way into the Malfoy Manor library, and quite a few, still, Theo had decided to keep for himself. He had decided he would rent the place out, as he already had a place to live, and didn't particularly like the location. When Draco had asked what he would do with the extra money, Theo surprised Draco when he told him he was going to donate it to Hogwarts, to help the orphans affected by the war.

Hermione had been proud of her best friend. She and Harry had done something similar with some of the pension they'd gotten for their efforts. Hermione had been especially busy lately, as well. She helped Theo with cleaning out the house on Spinner's End as often as she could, but Harry and Ginny had just gotten engaged, and Hermione was the maid of honour. Luna was the other bridesmaid, so Theo and Draco had been spending more time together than with their girlfriends lately. Ginny wasn't much of a planner, so most of the work was being done by an overeager Molly Weasley and Hermione, though neither seemed to mind.

Draco sighed contentedly, thinking back over the last six months. Without his best friend and girlfriend, he was almost positive that he'd be dead or worse. Draco couldn't even put into words how he felt for the two of them. He swore Hermione was some sort of angel, sent to him in his darkest time. He wasn't sure what she saw in him, but he was grateful for it. He placed a kiss below her ear, his mind far from the little part.

"Draco," She murmured, "Where's your head?"

"On my shoulders." He replied, half-heartedly. Hermione grinned a little, but she knew there was more to it. He sighed, chuckling at her.

"I really can't get away with anything with you." He muttered.

"Honestly, I don't see why you still try." Theo said from behind him, causing Draco to jump.

"Sod off, Theo. No one asked you." Draco grumbled.

"Seriously, though, Draco, if you don't get out of your head soon, I'll be forced to bring out the firewhiskey." Theo said, a grin barely concealing his concern.

Draco shook his head, but was thrown off guard when a mug was thrusted into his hand. He looked up, shocked to see red hair and blue eyes grinning at him.

"Drink up. Can't have you ruining the party, can we?" Ron said. Draco looked down at the cup, before shrugging and throwing some of it back. Ron smiled at him as he coughed a bit at the sting in his throat. Theo thumped Ron on the back, an appreciative smile firmly in place.

"Look at you lot getting all cozy over here," George said, sidling up to the little huddle. "Dumbledore would be proud." Draco had to agree.

He looked around him, from face to face. He found that he no longer cared who was from which house. He knew each person present in the flat that night would give damn near anything for him. Draco had the still-strange sensation that he'd finally found his family. And who needed a house when you had a loving family?


End file.
